Be A Sponge

One of the best things you can do as an assistant (or really in any position) is to constantly be curious about the work you do and try to learn how you can do it more effectively. I'm sure any anyone that reads this blog does it to learn how to be better at their job, a better gift giver, etc. In life, staying static and thinking that you know enough already = death for your career and your life being interesting. I read last year about a book I wish I had when I started as an assistant in this business called The Hollywood Assistants Handbook.
One of the authors is actually a writer on Grey's Anatomy, so he worked hard and actually made the leap others dream about. The handbook seems like a great tool and if you can keep searching out resources like this and keep learning -- it will benefit you now and in the future. I'm still trying to make my dream of being a writer come true, but even when I do, I intend to stay curious and seek out ways to be better at that as well.

Realizing You Are Meant To Do Something Else

Here's a hilarious clip of Judd Apatow from his Inside the Actors Studio episode last week. He has talked often about how failing -- well not failing, but realizing that he would never be as good a stand up comedian as the people he was coming up with (Sandler, Jim Carrey, etc.) and how it helped him to get on the right path. It took him not really getting what he wanted to help him find his way to being a writer/director and that's taken him pretty far. I left the entertainment business in 1999 for about 5 years or so and headed to the Silicon Valley during the first boom because tech and business had always been my two other passions. I had burnt out on the business and thought I would get on a new track to happiness. I did well and got promoted at a at a big media company, but I wasn't really that happy. I would go to see a movie and my heart would ache a bit to be back in LA and in the business. My promotion proved to be a mixed bag, as I had ended up in a much more vulnerable position and many rounds of layoffs later, I lost my job. I thought about staying up north, but eventually I found a job back in Los Angeles working for a director and came home. At that time, I finally really got my nerve back to give writing a shot. I still haven't quite succeeded yet, but I'm making some progress and working as an assistant to pay the bills. I'm hoping that I ended up not staying in the Silicon Valley because this is where I'm meant to be and that I will eventually succeed. Who knows, but I still have a tiny bit of hope. Keep this all in mind when you get thrown off your path a bit because you might end up right where you belong.

Don't Focus On What Others Think Of You

One thing I really wish had realized when I was a bit younger is how to let go of caring so much about what others think of me. It can truly get in the way of everything you are trying to accomplish. I should have been writing years ago and trying to get a manager, but my fear stopped me. Especially when you are in a field that's creative, you often have to put yourself out there and you will never have everyone love what you do. You have to focus on your passion and harness that without being constricted by others opinions. It's hard, but it is crucial to stand out and not just seem like everyone else. If you look at this list from EW last year of the top 30 actors under 30, you will notice that a large amount of them have made at least some offbeat choices and it paid off. Another great example of this is Russell Brand from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. His audition for Forgetting Sarah Marshall, wasn't really what they had in mind for the character, but it was so fun and interesting, the rewrote the part for him. He is successful because he has stayed true to himself and embraced what it is that makes him special. He did a great interview recently about his new book and the idea of him being himself and getting out of his own way is discussed at length. If you want to check it out, click here.

The only thing you can care about is what you feel about what you do. The rest is out of your control, so don't let others change you. Sometimes being who you really are is the thing that will make you stand out the most.

Don't Be Boring

I think I might have just screwed myself with the title of this post. Now if it isn't super exciting, people are going to think well how come she can be boring? In an effort not to be dull, I'm going to keep it short. This video of famed guru/marketer Seth Godin (who has written a bunch of best selling books on the subject) at the Ted Conference talking back in 2007 about how to stand out and make people pay attention is perhaps even more true today. The video is all about being unique and different and why it's imperative that you stand out. Being good or even great just isn't enough anymore. I highly recommend watching if you have the time.

The video is full of good advice and if you can take it to heart, it will help you leverage what's special about you, so that you can stand out. I did this blog about how to be a great personal assistant instead another pop culture blog (which I had done before) because I knew there weren't many exactly like it and I thought I could bring something a bit different to it because of my years of experience and the creative way I tend to approach my job.

8 Secrets To Success In 3 Minutes

This super short video by Richard St. John from a Ted Conference in 2006 (if you don't know what Ted is, go this post that I did about it to get clued in) is genius. He spent years interviewing some of the great minds of the world and came up with 8 words that are the secrets to success. It's only three minutes long, so you have the time to watch it. I'm positive. Take the time to do it. It's worth it. If you really enjoy it, he also wrote a book about it.