How to Deal With Unsupportive Family & Friends

I spoke with some actors who have unsupportive family and friends, and the stories they told me were..... honestly, I don't even know what to say.
 
Literally some people got kicked out of their homes.
 
They had ZERO financial support.
 
ZERO emotional support.
 
It's truly mind-boggling how someone can love watching films and seeing shows, but when their own daughter/friend/nephew wants to become an actor, all that love for the theater goes right down the drain and they say to get a real job.
 
......
 
I was super fortunate to have parents that would support me even if my dream of starting a business failed.
 
But at the time, being a young, pride-filled twenty-something meant I did NOT want to take money from my parents – so I hustled my ass off.



The first two years were extremely tough. My goal was to get my website www.cityheadshots.com on the first page of google for the keyword "Headshots NYC."


But how could I – some random kid in NYC – get my website to show up on the first page of Google in one of the most competitive markets in the world?
 
Well, that's at least what everyone kept saying to me.
 
It was a pipe dream, they'd say.
 
"Start looking for a stable job!"
 
I ignored them. I did my homework.
 
I read everything I could and spent the limited money I had buying books to educate myself.
 
I literally spent a year and a half writing content, getting backlinks, and reading every book out there on SEO (search engine optimization), which included a 700 page monster called The Dummies Guide to SEO & Online Marketing.
 
And I didn't just read. I actually applied what I learned and took action.
 
.....
And finally.... after working at it almost every single day.... my website showed up on the first page of Google.

​Sometimes I want to look back at all those people who doubted me and say "I told you so."


But you know what's even more rewarding than saying it?


To know I don't need to.

...
​
And that's what I want for you.
 
If you're facing skepticism from your family and friends because you decided to go into acting, I completely understand.
 
The odds are definitely stacked against you.


You're taking the road less traveled, and your friends and family don't want to see you fail – they want to protect you!


But you know that deep down, acting is what you NEED to do.
 
Just like how I knew that starting my photography business was something I needed to do.


Sure, you might not be 100% clear yet on exactly what you want to do and create in your life, but you do know what you DON'T want from your life.


You've only got one life to live, and I want you to make it a life that's YOURS.


And if acting is what you love to do, I want you to be able to look back 2 or 3 years from now and be able to say, "I told you so," to all those doubters.


But more than that, I want you to feel what it's like to not even have to say it.


There's no substitute for the confidence you'll gain once your education, hard work, and unwavering belief in yourself finally start to pay off.


The only one who knows what's right (and can keep going after it) is you.
 
And years from now when you're on your death bed, do you want to look at your life and wonder what could have been?
 
Or do you want to look back and say, "I chose to do what I believed in. And because of that, I lived my fullest and most honest life."