Stories and Poems || Optimism in My Life (Spring 1999)

Tu-tum, tu-tum, tu-tum, tu-tum. Your heart races, your palms start to sweat, you feel anxious and worried and hopeful at the same time. And then you hear the answer. She was great, really amazing, incredibly talented but a little too young, or a little too old. Rejection. It's something everyone has to get used to. Especially when you are in the entertainment business. Being an actress, I did my very first commercial when I was 3 years old. Part of my success I can attribute to my best friend, my mom. She has always taught me to believe in myself, to have a bright and positive outlook on life, to always aim for the best and abolish all negative influence. That is what optimism means to me. Let me share with you how many times optimism has guided me to the doors of success. When I was 7 years old. I auditioned for a movie called ''When A Man Loves A Woman.'' I went to meet with the casting director, then on to the director and producers, and finally I had a screentest. They flew my mom and I to Los Angeles, because I lived in New York. I was of course, very excited. I loved the project and I had my heart set on it. It came time to do the screentest and everything went great, everyone loved me and thought I did a really great job. They thought I was really talented and very sweet. We flew back to New York and the following day we were told that I didn't get it. The girl who did get it was a year and a half older than I was, being older, she was able to work longer and she was more mature in her appearance. I right away assumed that they just didn't like me, that I did a bad job. My mom explained to me why the other girl got the part, that it was not because of me, but of things I could not control. She told me not to worry because something bigger and better would come along. Sure enough she was right. A few years later I got a movie. My mom had helped me to look at the brighter side, to stay optimistic through a tough experience. Having heard that advice I really understood the value of being an optimist. Secondly, being successful in this business meant that I had to go through a lot of rumors being passed around about me, made up by people who are jealous of my hard work. Having a good attitude helped me to realize that they are just words, as I used to say when I was younger, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Being a professional actor especially requires a great deal of optimism. Through rejection and rumors, and everything else. For my education, when I am on set I have to work twice as hard to keep up my grades. Optimism inspires and helps me to do that. Having a healthy and positive outlook on life helps me to achieve goals I have set for myself. The values that I carry through my life, the respect that I have for other people around me, as well as the respect I have for myself all lead up to one vital key element, OPTIMISM.

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