I know that you’re probably over this whole lockdown thing–and maybe you’ve read that article by Adam Grant in the New York Times: There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing. In this article Grant states:

“Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021.”

And I get it. It’s easy to just look at this pandemic and think EVERYDAY IS THE SAME! You may feel aimless and like there’s just no point in doing anything different than you did the day before.

But I challenge you to ask yourself one questions before you allow ourselves to simply sink into this feeling.

How do you want to show up AFTER this lockdown is over?

I know it can be difficult to see the end, but it is coming. Maybe not in weeks, or months, but sometime soon, things are going to get better! That’s not just me being overly-optimistic, that’s just a fact. It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. Question is, are you gonna be ready?

Now, I’m not trying to go against The New York Times–But I am saying there are two sides to every coin. What if you thought to yourself, now’s my chance to come out ahead?

And I’m not the first person to say this, and this isn’t even the first time I’ve said this–but you can sit back and wallow, or you can use the this time to try something new, or pick something back up you put down before. One thing everyone should be doing, is taking better care of themselves.

What prompted me to write about this today, is that I had a headshot session booked. They were supposed to be done in March (I booked this in November–long waiting list). So when it was rescheduled, I was a bit upset. And since there was such a long waiting list, I thought, great–even when they do open back up, I’m gonna have to wait another 4 months because of the people ahead of me.

So I started shopping around for another photographer. But before I made a decision to cancel, I asked her how long the waiting list would be, once she opened back up. The answer surprised me.

She said that the last time there was a lockdown and actor’s had to reschedule, she found that once they opened back up–people weren’t ready! Pardon me? So not only did you have a 4 months’ long waiting list, plus a lockdown that lasted weeks, but you’re still not ready?

She said the reasons were varied, financial, needed a haircut, “lockdown weight”, tricky scheduling etc. Although I understood, and absolutely–there are things out of your control (needing a haircut and kids being homeschooled). But it got me thinking–what was it about the lockdown that gets people so uninspired to take action?

It comes down to knowing the schedule well in advance. Like having a deadline or a goal.

Like if your mom calls and says: “I’m gonna drop by sometime this afternoon.” You don’t know exactly when, but you know she’s coming, and you’re gonna make sure you tidy the place up beforehand. So, if I’m expecting my mom sometime in the afternoon, I’m gonna have my place spic and span by noon.

That’s exactly why it’s so important to set, and keep intentions and goals. Now, I may not know exactly when my headshot session is going to be, but I know I have a plan to get them.

So from now until then, I’m gonna keep myself in shape, take good care of my skin, keep setting money aside to pay for a session and haircut, and I’m gonna notify my partner as soon as I know when my appointment time is, so that someone is able to watch the kids. The longer it takes, the better and more money I’m gonna have saved!

It’s the same mentality as how you approach your auditions. You may not know when your next audition is gonna roll in, but when it does–don’t you want to be ready? Treat your auditions like they are inevitable, they’re on their way over, start tidying up now!