The Secret? SHOW UP

This may be hard to believe, but when I was a tween and teenager, I was... wait for it.... a DORK. A huge, gangly, glasses-braces-frizzy hair having DORK. I loved musical theatre and reading, I actually liked spending time with my parents, and I was quiet and always felt incredibly awkward.

I also loved boys. Different boys from time to time, but it seemed that from 5th grade on, I always had a crush on somebody. Somebody that almost never liked me back.

When I got down about it, my dad would always try to cheer me up the same way. He would say "Rachel, what you don't realize, because you can't see yourself clearly, is that you are the whole package. You are smart, you are a good person, AND you're beautiful, and boys your age don't know how to handle a girl like that. They are way too intimidated to talk to you."

Needless to say, I was a tad skeptical of this explanation.

To this day, I don't know whether that was true, bullshit, or biased information. But as I get older, I need a different kind of encouragement. The boys I have under control. My life... needs a little work.

So whenever I get down at my ability to handle, well, life as an adult, my dad still tries to cheer me up the same way:

"Rachel, you are the whole package. So many good things will happen to you if you will just LET THEM."

I was always skeptical of this as well, until recently. I mean, you have to work hard to make things happen for yourself. You need to wade through crap and push yourself for years and years to make a glimmer of good come about. Right?

But, recently, I have been getting huge bouts of good news. And it didn't even seem that hard.

I have booked 6 jobs in the last week and a half. Nothing paid, of course, but I've booked student films, short films, play readings, you name it. All I had to do was get out of bed on time and go to an audition, and all these parts start rolling in.

I have also needed a way to get money. I went to what turned out to be a fake casting call at a bar in the East village, ended up talking to the owner and giving him my headshot, and they called me in to work as a cocktail waitress. The shift went great, I made a good amount of money, and the best part? NO PAPERWORK. So, once again, I simply showed up, and I got exactly what I needed.

I also, through family connections, am making plans to fly out to LA to meet with one of the top casting directors in Hollywood. We'll see what happens with the meeting, but I have a feeling that as long as I show up, good things will come of it.

I know this is a wave of good things, and that nothing lasts forever, but for now, I'm feeling pretty good about where this year is going. And it's all because I SHOWED UP.

Thanks dad. You're better than any guardian angel I could ever have on my shoulder.

I'm letting it happen. Damn it feels good to be busy.