Actor life lesson - utilizing your team

I started life with a fierce independent streak. I'm not sure where it came from, and I'm sure my mother would have had a much easier time had I not wanted to do everything myself or on my terms. I wanted to come out feet first, nature be damned. (Sorry Mom. Bless your heart.)

That streak hasn't really lessened in the 20-odd years I've been roaming the planet. Often my independence serves me well - it came in quite handy when the tour truck I was driving by myself broke down in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. (Is that redundant?)

Sometimes my independence gets in my way, like when I forget that I have a team.

All actors have teams. When you start out, that team might just consist of you and your family, if you are lucky enough to have their support. Slowly your team grows to count the people who like you and believe in you and want to see you succeed. Then your team starts acquiring players who can do more than just cheer you on - managers! agents! publicists! stylists! accountants! lawyers!

I'm lucky enough to have a few people playing with me on my team. However, I'm so used to doing everything myself, I forget to utilize them. Or I forget that we're on the same team and am afraid to ask them for anything because I don't want to bother them or I'm afraid of what they'll say. Or I just don't think about it, and that can be a costly mistake.

Use your team. Practice your passes. Have your manager look over anything you sign before you sign it. Don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. You're all sharing the same bench and playing towards the same play-off! The same championship! Going for the same Super Bowl!

The metaphor is dead, but I'd like to take it a little further. You're going to fare better with a line of teammates behind you, because sometimes you're going to be playing against The Man. People With Power. Corporations Who Don't Care About Your Image Rights. That's what happened to me, and now I'm looking to draft a new teammate - Mr. Union.

I'm done. (And I promise to avoid sports metaphors in the future - that was exhausting.) I appreciate the work and the exposure. But I won't be making the same mistake again. I hope you can learn from mine and avoid it altogether.