Lisa Temple Actress Your Senator, Doctor, Teacher, Mom

This week I’ve had a chest cold and have been totally out of it; out of everything. This is never the time to make any decisions, or judge yourself, about anything. But, being human, I have done both these things this week, and as a result, have had a truly crappy week. I hate it when I actually question my very existence, don’t you?!

But somehow we can find the compassion to love ourselves no matter what. To find the ability deep inside to push through and still get things done. That’s the amazing thing about human resilience. We have a choice in every single moment, every single day, to live into our best selves. To find that place inside where, as Deepak Chopra teaches us, “anything is possible”.

Last Sunday, even though I was sick and was losing my voice, I still had to shoot a self-tape at home. That’s when you really have to find another place in your head, so you can lift yourself up and perform anyway. I had to push away the apathy, the frustration, the self-doubt, and the lackluster energy. And I did. And somehow my voice held up and I was able to send off my submission, surfing its way to the casting director.

And speaking of self-tapes, wow. We now live in a world where they’ve become the norm. In one year, the number of self-tapes I’ve done has more than doubled. Thank goodness I decided to buy all the necessary video equipment needed to shoot mine at home. Totally worth the initial expense of $200.00, which has easily paid for itself.

Side note: I would not be able to do these self tapes without the help of my amazing husband, who shoots them, reads with me, and is an excellent director. He’s also a singer, actor and teacher, and has directed lots of musicals and plays. Oh, and he’s also a writer! He’s been my biggest inspiration to start writing and see where this takes me. How blessed am I? Very.

Okay, back to Compassion. This is a crucial ingredient in the recipe of life, no matter what your career is. If we’re not kind to ourselves, then we become bereft of kindness in the world. The Law Of Attraction states that what we put out comes back to us.

This has been a tough lesson for me to learn, because I grew up judging myself harshly, and used to be scared of people. I was so afraid they were going to judge me, and that’s exactly what happened. Now I see life didn’t have to be that way, because how I treat myself is a choice. I choose kindness toward myself, and everyone I meet. As a result, my life has dramatically changed.  Pun intended. My acting career has blossomed and I’m a much happier, more balanced person.

This weekend I’ve got another self-tape to shoot. I’m still coughing but am feeling better, and thankfully, I’m no longer in danger of losing my voice. Good thing too, since this audition has two scenes with lots of lines. So I continue on my journey, working on this character, choosing wardrobe, memorizing lines, and finding the compassion and possibility that I know is inside me. Humans are inherently full of compassion and possibility. And isn’t that wonderful.