In my experience, there are three legs to the stool of success in acting — and they are in this order: Mindset, Work/Life Balance, and Craft. If one leg is weak, the stool wobbles. If one leg is missing, it collapses. Most actors obsess over craft. They take classes, memorize monologues, study accents, analyze scripts. Craft is essential. But it is the third leg. Everything starts with MINDSET. Mindset determines whether you show up consistently, whether you prepare thoroughly, whether you handle rejection productively, whether you sabotage yourself, and whether you stay in the game long enough to win. Craft makes you capable. Mindset makes you sustainable.
But what do I actually mean by mindset?
I don’t mean hype. I don’t mean fake confidence. I don’t mean taping affirmations to your mirror and hoping for the best. I mean mental discipline. I mean resilience. I mean the ability to override fear, distraction, procrastination, and self-doubt. I mean the capacity to stay focused when things aren’t going your way.
Think about elite athletes. In sports, mindset is not optional — it is trained. Olympic runners, skaters, gymnasts, and fighters do not rely on talent alone. They work with sports psychologists because performance under pressure is mental before it is physical.
Dr. Jim Afremow, a leading sports psychologist, says, “Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.”
But desire alone isn’t enough. That desire must be supported by structure, focus, and emotional control.
Legendary coach Pat Riley put it this way: “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.”
That striving requires mental stability. Discipline. The ability to recover from setbacks. Athletes don’t leave this to chance. Entire graduate programs exist to study performance psychology. Professional teams invest heavily in mental performance specialists. Why? Because talent alone is not enough.
It’s no different in acting.
I tell my students—and myself—if you want to do something and you are not letting yourself do it, that’s a mindset issue. If you consistently can’t make it to class on time, if you can’t carve out time each day to work on your craft, if you procrastinate memorizing until it’s too late, if you show up underprepared, if you engage in self-sabotage—that’s mindset. Mental health is part of mindset too. Getting enough rest. Maintaining balance. Addressing substance abuse. Cultivating an optimistic yet realistic outlook. Learning how to process rejection without spiraling. Mindset is the internal architecture that supports your career.
When I was at DePaul’s Theatre School, I struggled deeply in this area. I battled depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, and intense self-doubt. I didn’t have much of a support system. So when I graduated and signed with a major agent in New York City, I was not prepared to handle the opportunities that came my way. I had the representation. I had the craft. I did not have the mindset. If I had received stronger support around mental discipline and emotional resilience, I likely could have stepped into the success I had always envisioned. I was positioned for it. But I did not yet have the internal stability to hold it. It took years — therapy, recovery, building a strong support system, and hard-earned lessons—before I became ready to handle what I knew was meant for me. That is why I take mindset so seriously with my students.
I look at acting training as akin to athletic training. We use our bodies. We perform under pressure. We pursue competitive goals. We endure rejection and public evaluation. We must sustain energy over long periods of time. Athletes train skill, stamina, and mindset. Actors must do the same. Acting training should go as deep as athletic training because what we do is just as demanding. Craft matters deeply. But without mindset to support it, craft will not carry you.
Talent opens the door.
Mindset keeps you in the room.
I did mention there are three legs to the stool of success in acting, and I’m aware I’m leaving out Work/Life Balance. That’s a discussion for another time, but if your mindset isn’t in good shape it will be very difficult to keep the wolf from the door while you’re climbing the ladder to stardom.
Back to mindset.
So we know mindset matters. But how do we actually work on it?
At AIAC, we’re known for the HOW of things.
In my classes, I don’t just tell actors what to do: “Play your verbs more specifically! Feel those feelings! Learn those lines!” I show them how to do it.
We use exercises that help actors dig deeply into their emotional lives, uncover meaningful triggers, and learn how to access those truths in their scenes. We play games designed to help master the art of verb work so behavior becomes instinctual, clear, and compelling. We do voice work that deepens the connection between body, breath, feeling, and presence. And so much more.
I don’t simply tell actors what to do. I teach them how to do it.
And mindset is no different.
There are several tangible, accessible practices I regularly recommend to my students that I’d love to pass on to you here.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
One tool I’ve found incredibly valuable is a popular self-reflective therapeutic model called IFS (Internal Family Systems).
(Quick disclaimer: I am not a doctor or licensed therapist. I’m sharing this as a personal resource for self-exploration, as IFS is both used professionally in therapy settings and explored independently by many individuals.)
Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS is based on the idea that we all have different internal “parts” that make up our psychological inner world—almost like a family living inside us. Some of those parts developed in response to painful experiences, often in childhood, and may still be trying to protect us with outdated beliefs or defensive strategies that no longer serve us.
Sometimes the very part of us that thinks it’s keeping us safe is actually the thing sabotaging our progress.
IFS helps us identify those parts, understand them with compassion, and ultimately free ourselves to move forward with greater clarity and less internal resistance.
If this resonates with you, I highly recommend starting with Dr. Schwartz’s book No Bad Parts. There are also excellent IFS workbooks and apps available that can help guide you through the process. Check out: Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual by Richard G. Schwarts, et al PHD and Self-Therapy Workbook by Bonnie J. Weiss, LCSW. And the app is: IFS Guide.
Performance Success
Another resource I love is Performance Success by Don Greene.
Don Greene originally worked with musicians at Juilliard who struggled with performance anxiety and difficulty delivering under pressure. His work has since expanded into athletics, public speaking, and all kinds of performance disciplines—including acting.
One of my favorite exercises from his work is called Centering.
In simple terms, it involves grounding your awareness in the physical center of your body, releasing unnecessary tension, becoming fully present, and then directing your energy outward toward a chosen point in your visual field.
I’ve incorporated this into my own audition preparation and found it to be both calming and remarkably effective. It helps quiet the mental chatter and brings me back into focused presence—which, as actors, is exactly where we want to live.
The Block Blaster Exercise
Lastly, I want to leave you with a practical exercise I picked up from another coach years ago and adapted into something I now call The Block Blaster Exercise.
It’s simple, revealing, and surprisingly powerful.
Start by identifying one thing you believe is getting in your way.
Then ask yourself:
“What do I think about this block?”
Write down every thought that comes up—one thought per line—and leave a blank space between each entry.
Once your list is complete, go back and ask yourself how each thought makes you feel. Write that feeling in the space beneath each thought.
Then evaluate each feeling:
Does this move me toward my goal… or away from it?
You might label them as:
✔ Helpful
✘ Unhelpful
The labels themselves matter less than the awareness.
What this exercise does is bring unconscious thinking into conscious view. Often, mindset blocks persist simply because they’re running in the background unquestioned.
The moment you become aware of an unhelpful thought pattern, you begin loosening its grip.
And awareness creates choice.
Done consistently, this exercise can help dissolve internal blocks, create healthier thought pathways, and move you closer to the things you genuinely want.
(For a complete example and downloadable worksheet for The Block Blasting Exercise, click HERE.)
Mindset is something we actors need to take seriously.
Talent matters. Training matters. Opportunity matters.
But if your internal world is constantly working against you, it becomes incredibly difficult to sustain momentum.
The good news?
Mindset can be trained.
And once you learn how, everything changes.
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