19 Lessons For Self-Reflection on a Snow Day

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As I work from home today, watching the snow floating down, I am in awe of nature’s beauty. The phone is not ringing since all personal and work appointments are cancelled, and my dog is fast asleep at my feet. Sometimes it’s nice to have a quiet moment to reflect on things that have inspired me.

I am a student and always will be. I have taken classes in acting, voice, dance, meditation, guitar, yoga, kick-boxing, knitting, quilting, and cooking to name a few. In my own work teaching clients, as both an acting and life coach, I find myself quoting words of wisdom from some of my favorite inspirational teachers that I have worked with over the years. In this time of quiet reflection, I thought it would be nice to share some of them with you...

“It’s haaaaard. Acting is very hard.”

“If you say you’re going to go, GO!”

“You must be willing to make a mess to have your dreams.“

“In order to explode, you must have the stuff to explode with.”

“The voices in our head will sabotage us.“

“Take the effort, struggle, and examining of it out of acting.”

“Theater is life distilled.”

“We must forget the language and go with the humanity.”

“Make it specific. You won’t react from generalizations.“

“Acting is the most important moment of your life.”

“The title is very important to what is happening in the scene.”

“You understand a play better when you understand what is going on in the world at that time. “

“There are only two emotions in life - love and fear.”

“Let things surprise you. The reward about acting is you discover all the different me’s.”

“Don’t take it personally. It’s never about us. “

“Stay curious.”

“Anyone can make the moment real, but what you do with it is where the talent lies.”

“With good writing your first obligation is to the playwright.”

“Pay attention!”

I encourage you to find a quiet moment in your own busy day so you can reflect on what inspires you to do what you do. This can bring a smile to your face, give you a deeper sense of certainty and satisfaction with your life, and can even trigger fresh ideas and get the creative juices flowing. Stay safe and warm and enjoy the snow.

Denise Simon

Denise has a gift for speaking the language of young actors , communicating in a way that instills confidence and builds skill sets. Her classes and industry workshops attract both established and emerging talent. She has coached hundreds of children and young adults, privately and on-set, who appear regularly on Broadway, TV and film.

A veteran of the industry as an actress, teacher, director, casting director and personal talent manager, Denise has expertise not only with coaching performers in the craft through private lessons, but also through weekly classes, group workshops, summer productions, industry showcases and college teleseminars. Denise provides private consulting to guide young actors and their parents through the challenges inherent to show business. She works with high school students on their college auditions and guides them through the performing arts college admission process.

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