There is a Lot More to Life Then Work

I want to make this very clear from the beginning of this blog, that I am not saying my ideas are correct or should be used by everyone, but only that this is how I am currently running my acting and modeling business.

Years ago, I would accept most auditions, jobs or go-sees, even if it meant completely changing any personal plans I might have previously made. I would not cancel a vacation, but other personal plans would generally get moved to accommodate work. Over the past number of years, I have begun to change that philosophy, especially, when it comes to keeping my family plans.

Last Friday, I was in New York attending a go-see. While I was about 30 minutes from my home, I got a phone call from an agent asking me to attend a go-see in New York, the next day (Saturday).  I had already made some family plans for Saturday. My son will be coming back home from a trip, my daughter will be leaving for college in about ten days, and I have some relatives coming over to visit.

My modeling/acting and workshops have me traveling quite a bit. I quickly thought about not wanting to turn down the go-see, but I also knew how much I wanted to spend some special time with my family. I chose to turn down the go-see.

If it were a local go-see, I would have taken the 20-30 minutes out of the day to attend and accepted it but, going to New York would have been a full-day adventure. By traveling back to New York, I would have missed the entire day with my family.  I realize that I need to make a living, so turning down projects is not something I do very often. However, I have come to realize that as important work is to me, it is not as important as my family.

About the Author: Aaron Marcus

Aaron Marcus has been a full-time actor and commercial model for over 33 years. His new book, How to Become a Successful Actor and Model is an Amazon Best Seller. Aaron has given his seminar: "Book the Job" over 700 times spanning 3 continents. He also offers online workshops. Aaron saves 5 days each month to give private on-line coaching sessions.