Setting Intentions — 5 Values for a Happier, More Productive Life

For the past few weeks, I’ve been challenging myself.

I had been feeling pretty stagnant in my life, and maybe even a little lost. I had clear goals and dreams for my future, and I knew what steps to take to get there. However, the day-to-day of that process became monotonous, and I wanted to prevent losing myself along the way.

Performing is all I’ve ever really wanted to do. I’ve been consistently auditioning in New York for a little over a year now, which has in and of itself been a dream, albeit a dream that requires a ton of hard work and emotional energy. In this time, I have not booked very much, (which is to be expected in the first year and I’m very grateful for all the opportunities I have had this year) and it’s frustrating and disappointing to not be able to do what I love most as often as I’d like. There are also a lot of days, and sometimes weeks, when I have no auditions. These are the days that I feel the most unlike myself.

It’s been said that actors should do one thing for their career every day. And I do. I take classes, see shows, rehearse in my bedroom/shower/car. But only doing one thing that made me happy every day didn’t satisfy me.

Then I watched a video made by YouTuber Rebecca Leung in which she sets five core values and challenges herself to do something to fulfill them every single day. I was so inspired by this video, I decided to make my own list and follow through with it.

My five values are:

• Music
• Education
• Health
• Creativity
• Vulnerability

To fulfill my value of music, I dedicate time every day to singing, listening to music, or attending a performance. Education is more broad in that I can either be educated on a topic or I can educate someone else. For this one, I read a lot, take classes, and teach a youth musical theatre class twice a week. I firmly believe that health means something different for everyone, so I have to make sure I’m doing what’s best for me. Sometimes that means working out in the morning, other times it means going to the drive-thru for a milkshake because I don’t think I’ve eaten enough that day, and on other occasions it means treating myself to a face mask because I need to slow down and relax for 20 minutes. Creativity is sometimes a challenge for me because I try to be creative in a way that isn’t necessarily career-related, as I want to make sure that I maintain hobbies and interests outside of theatre. I like to write, make Pinterest boards, and have fun with makeup, but I’m always on the lookout for new creative activities to try. Vulnerability is by far the hardest goal for me to accomplish. I’ve always had difficulty with being vulnerable, so it’s definitely something I’ve been working on. As much as it scares me, it’s been so rewarding to open up little by little. I’m allowing myself to feel my feelings without judging them, and I’ve been able to strengthen my relationships because of it. I’ll admit that I’m not vulnerable every day, but I’ll get there. Baby steps.

So if you’re stuck in a rut, I encourage you to make your list and stick to it. What are you passionate about? What do you wish you had more of in your life? How do you want to challenge yourself?