My algorithm has decided I have latent Broadway potential. Lately my feed is full of audition summary videos: upbeat music, a charismatic actor rattling off what they auditioned for and what they got. Over and over, it looks like:

What I auditioned for: Miss Hannigan What I got: nothing

What I auditioned for: Angelica What I got: nothing

What I auditioned for: Lydia What I got: Delia understudy

Do I have unrealized Broadway potential? Sure, maybe. I can sing and I'm shameless on stage. But growing up in LA made all acting endeavors cringey, so here I am watching audition outcome videos instead.

Still, the dynamic is one I recognize. It was just in the air growing up, like smog: tons of auditions, maybe a callback, maybe even keeping your availability open, then nothing. And it wasn't just actors. Directors pitch projects that go nowhere too. It's exhausting for the talent, trying to summon the same energy for every attempt. It's exhausting for their friends and family, who listen to the excitement about a callback for a packaged goods commercial and then never hear about it again.

And it turns out that dynamic isn't unique to entertainment. Job searching outside the industry is the same story: resumes, networking, applying, screening interviews, portfolio prep, interview loops. And most of it goes nowhere. The energy imbalance is real, and disheartening. You put in so much, to get so little out, until suddenly it all works out.

Trying to stay positive through that is its own kind of exhausting. But getting through it is about more than positivity: it's about noticing the good things that are actually moving: the second and third interviews, the irons still in the fire, the progress on your portfolio, the interesting conversations you're having.

And it helps to have the mindset of a goldfish. Come around the bowl again to see what's new (Ooh! A castle!). Forget what's behind you as best you can, and look forward to the next positive step (Ooh! A castle!).

So keep going. And I’ll see you on a community theatre stage sometime soon (probably not though!) 

P.S. Sneak preview, superfans. My new book, Good Work: Managing Management and Managing Yourself will be on sale in January, but I’m starting with a little pre-order right now. Be in the first 100 to order, and you’ll get some free book release swag!

OOH!A Book!PRE-ORDER UP!