the treadmill and will... smith

Will Smith is an amazing actor. I can’t attest to the kind of person he is in real life. But his acting? Well, it’s undeniable that he is great.

Will Smith’s success is not a direct result of him being a great actor, though. There are plenty of great actors. I’m sure for every great actor we see in a film, there are thousands of equally as great actors who may never be in a film.

So what sets Will apart? I’d say this pretty much sums it up:

“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You know, you might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things. You got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, right? There are two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right? You’re not going to out-work me.

It’s such a simple, basic concept. The guy who is willing to hustle the most is going to be the guy that just gets that loose ball. The majority of people who aren’t getting the places they want or aren’t achieving the things that they want in this business is strictly based on hustle. It’s strictly based on being out-worked; it’s strictly based on missing crucial opportunities. I say all the time if you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready.” – Will Smith

This industry is unpredictable. There is so much I can’t control. I can’t control the amount of money I make. I can’t control how many jobs I book. I can’t even control the number of auditions I get from my agents and manager.

This industry is competitive. There are thousands of actresses in LA competing for a handful of jobs. There are thousands more actresses who move to LA every year, I'm sure. But I'm also sure there are thousands who leave every year because they give up. 

Like Will, I may not be the best actress. I may not be the smartest actress. I may not be the sexiest actress. But like Will, I will be the most hard-working actress. I will be the most persistent actress. 

I'm on the treadmill. And I'm not getting off.