I think the fear of what could be is what stops many people from actually trying what they want to do. You convince yourself it's too late, or you're too this or too that, and suddenly, those things become true because you made them true.

I'm proud that I didn't allow that to happen to me. I was unhappy with my life in 2020. I just finished college and was working a sales job. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but it was money and experience. I was also working on a website with one of my best friends on the side, and that became my entire creative outlet. It was incredible, even though we were just blogging, messing around, and trying to figure it out. There was something about the experience that lit my creative fire. I think that's when I knew I needed to challenge myself to express myself creatively in any way I could. And as an adult, the onus is on you to hold yourself accountable. There's no one there to tell you what to do anymore.

Sure, your parents and loved ones will offer their advice and try to guide you in a direction they feel is right for you. But what about what you think is right for you? No one can really know what that is but you. It takes a level of introspection that I think, sadly, many people avoid. Why is that? Is it fear that whatever you find might be something incredible and exciting? And you're ashamed or embarrassed that you've avoided it for this long? And if you try it now, what happens then? What if you're not good enough?

That was acting for me for many years. I'd think about it all the time. In high school, watching my friends in plays, and in college, perusing my class options while building out my schedule for the next semester. Theater 101? No way, I can't actually do that. Finance 322 it is. Getting PTSD writing that right now.

But then I graduated. Got dropped into the real world… And I don't know, man. Something about being in corporate America makes you ask yourself: "Is this really all there is?" It can't be. It simply can't be. But then again, not everyone feels that way, and that's a beautiful thing, too. I think we're all chasing that feeling that we're, at the very least, excited to work on the things we do for 40-50 hours a week (at least sometimes). And I've seen so many examples of amazing people in that world who love what they do and feel like they're exactly where they should be.

It's also a reminder that it's okay if you don't feel that way. We're all just trying to figure it out. And we have responsibilities and relationships: rent, pets, family, friends, the phone bill, dating, children, significant others — the list goes on. I get it. It can be easy to point to that list, get overwhelmed, and immediately dismiss the idea of pursuing anything else.

But where does that leave you? I think that question is the scariest of them all.

When I started acting, I promised myself one thing: I wouldn't put pressure on myself. Not in a lazy, "Gen-Z" type of way. But I would make my sole focus to enjoy myself and improve.

So, yeah. Enjoy yourself and improve. That's what I've been doing for three years with acting, filled with some of the most incredible experiences of my life. And I have no intention to stop doing that.

If you read all of this, you’re a real one and I appreciate you. I’ll see you at the Emmys someday.