Episode 405: The Energetics of Allowing

I want to start this episode with someone I lost recently.

A dear colleague of mine, Riff Hutton, passed away a couple of weeks ago from a brain tumor. I am opening with him because I just used something he taught me. I came into my booth and my preamp was not working. And there was a part of me that just wanted to say forget it, record on the laptop mic, move on.

And then Riff's voice came to me. Be curious.

So instead of pushing through I got calm. I started looking at why. Turned out the power cord into my preamp has a lock position and it had gotten unlocked. A simple thing. But the old me would have forced it and missed the lesson entirely.

Riff Hutton, if you are out there listening on some plane, thank you for teaching me to be curious.

Forcing vs Allowing

Today's episode is about attracting rather than forcing. And you are talking to a reformed forcer here.

The times I have pushed hardest are the times I have created the least flow. There is an energy to forcing that is very close to frustration and anger. I am going to make this happen. And when I operate from that energy, things go wrong. Last night I was exhausted and forcing myself to make dinner and the glass lid to my frying pan shattered in the salmon. Everything was fine. But I said to myself, you are forcing. What I really needed to say was I am too tired to cook. Either we make a salad or we go out.

When I gave myself permission to be curious instead, when my tech broke down before this recording, it created an opportunity to learn something and to teach you something. That is not magical thinking. That is nervous system reality.

What Scarcity Actually Looks Like

Scarcity is not just financial. Scarcity sounds like it is too late for me. I am too old. I missed my chance. Everyone is ahead of me.

It shows up in actions too. Checking casting sites obsessively. Spiraling when someone from your acting class books a job. Treating every audition like something you have to survive instead of something you get to be curious in. Believing that rejection defines your self-worth.

Scarcity is a clenched fist. Abundance, and that means abundance of love, opportunity, curiosity, is an open hand.

Your nervous system affects your ability to see opportunity, stay grounded, and recover after rejection. If it is dysregulated you overthink, you chase approval, you lose your authenticity. And your authenticity is your superpower.

Can You Receive

Here is the exercise I want you to try right now. Imagine booking the dream role. Imagine finally being seen as an actor the way you have always wanted. Really sit with it. And then notice what emotion appeared immediately afterward. Was it fear? Pressure? Guilt? Fear of visibility?

Because if it was, those emotions matter. They are showing you where you are stuck.

So many actors become addicted to the struggle. If that is you, it is because struggle feels more familiar than ease. I want ease to feel familiar. I want flow to feel familiar. Because peace can feel threatening. Calm can feel unproductive. Stability can feel suspicious.

But your nervous system dictates your success more than your effort. That is the truest thing I have discovered in 30 years.

The Bottom Line

Allowing is not passive. Allowing is staying open long enough for life to meet you. Your job is not to force every outcome. Your job is to become available for what you say you want.

Your emotions are your inner GPS. They are showing you where you are going. If you feel good, you are going somewhere good.

Want to Keep the Conversation Going?

If any of this resonated, please click the link in the show notes and set up a free consultation over Zoom: email me at peter@actingbusinessbootcamp.com.

This work is amazing and you get so many surprises along the way.

As I always say, stay safe and treat yourself real well.