I recently met with a talented actor and friend to help them with his business plan-or DOIN’ as we call it at the Richard Lawson Studios. DOIN’ stands for Declaration of Independence. We only focused on his raison d’être (which literally means your reason for existence. Your reason for being.) In other words, purpose. What is your purpose as an artist and as a person? Why are you pursuing this particular career and not another one like law, medicine, etc.? We only focused on this part because the raison d’être is the engine that drives everything. It colors and influences everything that comes after it in your business plan.
It was great to hear his raison d’être and then ask the next question so that it could be a little more specific and personal to him. What he had already written down was great! I just asked questions to help him take it to a higher level of specificity and personal resonance.
And there was one part in his raison d’être that really struck me. He mentioned “sending down the elevator” to others when he reaches a certain level of success. “Sending down the elevator” meaning that he’s reached a high level of success and now wants to give back to others in the same way people have supported him in his journey. He wants to pay it forward to others who are just starting out, who need direction or help, etc. He took the elevator up to the top and now wants to send it down to others and help them make it to the top as well.
It’s interesting because I’ve heard this similar desire in others who have shared their raison d’être with me before. They too want to help and inspire others. And what I told my friend is that he can send the elevator down NOW. Through small, simple, meaningful actions of GIVE, he can help others now.
Now, as he becomes more famous or wealthy, his sphere of influence and give will increase. But he can take actions now. He loved that perspective and it opened up his eyes to the fact that he can give now. He’s excited in what he can do now to help others and I can’t wait to check in with him to see what actions he’s taking.
So, you don’t have to wait until you “make it” or become famous or rich in order to send the elevator down. Your raison d’être exists in you now. That’s what drives you every day to be who and what you are. So give now.
For those of you at home experiencing a similar situation as my friend, here are some simple, doable actions of give that I’m going to quickly throw out as they pop into my head:
Offer to help someone do their first scene in scene study class.
Offer to help someone with their film shoot by being a production assistant or first assistant director or running craft services, etc.
Support someone by attending their comedy showcase.
Help someone out with their audition.
Be a buddy or mentor to a new student in class and show them the ropes, the ins and outs.
Offer to help someone out at their headshot session.
Share someone’s weekly blog entries with your contacts and on your social media 🙂
Introduce someone to your agent or manager.
Introduce someone to your friends.
Volunteer at a shelter.
Donate money or time to charities.
Donate money to a fundraising campaign to help bring a person’s passion project to life.
Offer to listen and provide helpful advice.
If you see an opportunity for someone, let them know about it.
Go to the movies with someone.
Take someone out to lunch.
Share someone’s weekly blog entries with your contacts and on your social media 🙂
Write someone a note of thanks and appreciation.
Do research for someone in a particular area they need help with.
Donate items to someone’s yard sale.
If someone is looking to repaint or redecorate their room, offer help.
If someone needs help moving out of their old place and into their new one, offer help.
What other ways can you think of to pay it forward and give? I would love to hear from you in the comments section below!
Originally published at chasingthegeorge.wordpress.com on March 25, 2017.
Originally published at medium.com