Collective Thoughts: Part One

Collective thoughts, or thought, is a rarely used terminology in the workplace or in society at large unless one seeks out specialized training with those who train top producers.  Collective thought is simply the dominate thoughts of an individual and/or group.  For example, ever visit a court house or a post office?  Good God almighty, you can see the misery in the workers face and actions prior to getting to the counter.  Let there be a God to protect you/us when the communication starts; they hate their jobs and you are going to hear and/or feel it, your choice!  The collective thoughts of the large majority of these organizations is: I hate my job, it does not pay me enough, this isn't the job I wanted to do, I am doing it because I am married and have a family, it’s safe, it’s the only job I could get because I did or did not go to college, and the litany list goes on.  Sometimes you meet a few that break with dominate collective thought; however, it’s few and far between.  

The easiest way to understand collective thought is to watch athletes.  Coaching staffs place high emphasis on collective thought.  Simply, every team member must have the same goal.  Win, Win, Win!  Anything short of winning is simply not discussed.  Peyton Manning says he reviews hours and hours of tape prior to playing against the opposing team.  He can determine how the opposing team thinks by how they play.  It can be done!  Can you imagine athletes in the NFL constantly telling themselves that another team is better than them and lining up to play against that/those team(s)? The Cinderella team concept is a great example of collective thought.  No matter what the odds are against this no name or unknown team, the Cinderella team wins because of collective thought. Each team member commits in their mind to winning.  This is the reason why people love athletes; they do what others only dream of doing.  They predict the outcome of the game prior to it.  We have seen these predictions in the NFL as far back as Joe Namath. We all sit, hold our breathe and cheer them on as they cross the finish line, score the amazing basket, catch the uncatchable ball, and so forth.

Another technique used effectively by athletes is "Visualization".   Top athletes put as much time into visualization as they do learning and executing the plays in the playbook.  I watched my nephew, who was an elite athlete, utilized this technique while in high school.  He used go to the Rose Bowl and walk up and down the field.  He said, he needed to fill the dirt and grass under his feet.  He also had his dad throw the football to him; he told me, “Auntie, one day I am going to play in the Rose Bowl Game.”  I replied, “They call it the Grand Daddy of them all.”  I forgot about his prediction; remember he was in maybe 9^th/10th grade, if that. Almost 5 years or so later, I was sitting the stadium, at the Grand Daddy of them all, the Rose Bowl Game, screaming my head off as I watched him run onto the field, with his team, and I had to fight back the tears.  Folks visualization works!   What's stopping you is you is the thoughts that you are holding daily in your mind.  Time and time again I ask my actors not to thank me for working hard on their behalf.  Because I know if I tell the mind it’s going to be hard, it will be hard. I like to hold the thought in my mind that I am a highly focused worker.  

Beverly Agency Actors it’s the thoughts that you are holding in your mind that is driving your results.  

Perfect example, I have a client I sent to two auditions. I could almost predict that he or she would not book either job because their focus was on getting into the audition early in order to get back to their day job.  Their mind never considered booking the job, the actor had given the mind repeatedly I have to get into the audition and get back to my day job because that's what's important to me.  Now if you question the actor, they will tell you that you are wrong! However, the brain works like a computer, whatever you program it to do, it will do! I should mention here a great deal of your programming comes from your family and those that you send a great deal of time with.

A player is injured and the team loses just by missing that one player; it’s his energy and thought that the team is missing even more than his physical presence. In many cases they lose because they collectively tell themselves they cannot win without that person.  Yes, the opposite does happen.  And when it does happen we all cheer loudly!  Star player(s) are injured and the bench does what?  Steps up!  All the visualization and thought is challenged to activate immediately and at the right moment it all comes together. 

This is what should happen with actors when you are not getting auditions.  Focus on preparing yourself for when you are in the room auditioning.  Focus on training.  Do local theatre.  Attend workshop and stay away from asking questions that will give you answers to feed you own self doubt.  Tell the mind that you book without the audition process.  Tell yourself you are memorable and casting directors, producers, and/or directors are contacting your agency right now to offer you role(s).  Tell yourself that you are memorable and casting directors bring you in because they remember prior performances whether you booked the job or not!  Repeated affirmations.  Come up with a ritual that best suits you.  

Caution...woe be the actor that shares this information with folks (folks includes parents, family members, friendenemies, boyfriends, girlfriends, co-worker’s, sometimes even industry professionals) who do not understand this concept.  Know this, you will be greeted with such negativity that you will cause yourself never to believe in anything you want to achieve ever again.  Negativity is very heavy as well as powerful, a weak mind is easily squashed! 

No matter what position you play in the NFL, whether you play every game or not, you are mandated to attend practice and go through the motions, over and over again.  The coach knows and will never let you forget that they may have to call on you in a clutch situation and (Fools, your mind has to be ready) your body operates through signals sent from the brain.  You do not see through your eyes, you see from signals sent from your brain to your eyes.  People, if you are not feeling, some excitement right now, this article is 100% correct in its assertions.  Your results are tied to your mind. 

My results are tied to your mind.  I can present you with opportunity after opportunity and you show up; however, like on Sunday, Monday, and even Thursday night Football, if the mind is not showing up, you are in an industry workshop crying about what you never get and having the madness reinforced.  Again, stop looking outside of yourself for answers.  Cut It Out!  Cut it out!  Cut it out!  The real answers are inside of you!  Contemplate these words for a few days and I'll be back at you with Part 2!