The thing about the road less traveled is that it’s scary.
It’s scary to walk by yourself and even more scary to carve out a path that nobody else has taken before you.
I knew I wanted to move to Los Angeles ever since I was a young kid. I watched a lot of TV and dreamt of a world full of music, fashion and television screens. Growing up in a small village in Germany meant that I was destined for farm life, baking or working in retail. This also meant that nobody around me had any idea that I could actually make my dreams come true.
I often heard, “Good luck!,” or “Don’t forget me when you make it,” or “Yeah, I had dreams true.” I never heard, “That’s an impressive goal, go to ___ to find out more.” It’s easy for people always tell you “well, just make it happen” and “your curiosity will lead you in the direction you need to go.”
But what do you do when you know what you want to do but you have no idea how to get to the other end?
You start somewhere with any tools you have. Yes, I mean any.
1.Put yourself in the right space to do what you want to do.
This feels like the easiest and hardest thing to do. For example, my life changed as soon as I moved to LA. That’s easier said than done, especially because you have to save enough money to afford putting yourself in the space. Maybe your first step is to define what that space looks like, whether it’s a city, state, or even an online forum. Then, save enough money to get there. In short: show up in the space your future self will operate in.
2. Do the things you want to do.
If you want to host a TV show, write a script and record yourself doing a TV show and post it online. If you want to be an expert, share your opinion on the things you care about and interact with other experts in your field. Just show up.
And last, and probably my least favorite advice:
3. Network
Reach out to individuals or companies who have things in common with what you may want to do. I’m obsessed with Warner Bros. so I love saying hello to current and former employees currently working there and in various positions such as social media, film and publicity. Most of the time we shoot high so many people may not see your message, but focus more on the people that do. Ask them real questions and be authentic – this is the time to be real and get real advice so use it.
It takes bravery to follow your dreams and carve out your path when you don’t always know what the journey ahead holds. Create space for grace and patience as you journey into the right direction and put yourself in a good position to take a leap of faith.