I had a long talk with our nanny/housekeeper yesterday. She’s a really great woman. She has a masters degree, teaches yoga, plats organic gardens for people, works in public radio and has an Emmy Award for doing so. She CHOSE to do this job, cleaning up our house, cooking for us, taking care of Nathen——because of the ECONOMY. She also, as a sidebar, finds the 6 hours a day she spends here to be her favorite part of her day, but that’s not the point.

We all have to make money. We all have bills to pay. in our world, when you see a ‘celebrity’ on some junky reality show, don’t kid yourself. Our field of employment is hard, hard, hard…..and people have to make a living. I’ve worked as a dishwasher for $3.50 and hour, so every day that I’m paid as an actor is a good one, believe me.

I know a VERY famous celebrity who was having a tough time about 20 years ago——she got a job bussing tables at a coffee house——I believe if you asked her today she would remember those as good times, but I truly credit her resurgent success to that kind of thinking……

On the flip side, there is a father at Nathen’s school who is basically one step away from being a deadbeat Dad, yet he is seen out at restaurants that are easily $100 a person, when his family has really been struggling to get by.

My point is this, not just on a character level, but on a nuts-and-bolts level. If people are struggling, they have to assess what they are willing to DO to stay afloat. Notice I said “DO”—-that’s an ACTIVE word——I’m not talking about looking for a handout or coming up with a scam. In a weird economy, I have a dear friend who sat down and thought about what she knows, what contacts she has, and whats she hasn’t done to capitalize on those things. Well, she came up with an idea, and it’s perfect, and she and a partner are starting to go after it. I could’t be more proud of her.

So, if you can skip the meal out, cancel the membership, skip the Starbuck’s a couple of days, or even change your perception of what your “career” may mean in order to feel THAT sense of accomplishment that you are taking care of your stuff, then I say go for it. At the end of the day, holding on to those notions of insecurity or even “you know me, I have to have my Starbucks!” end up just being a huge waste of time and money…..

Got it? Good…..now go get it…….

WG