Oh be careful little ears what you hear.

I’ve sung that line of the children’s song I don’t know how many times and yet I must constantly remind my ears to be careful of what they hear – especially as I’m starting out in my film career.

I’ve learned that everyone has opinions and everyone likes to give free advice. But not all the opinions and advice that come my way are healthy. Not all of it is wise or accurate. Not all of it should be listened to. It can distract you. It can lead you to places you don’t want to go. It can cut you down. It can cause you to give up. It almost always will slow you down if it doesn’t stop you. So I must be careful of what I hear and I’ve learned that in being careful of what I hear means I need to be careful of who I surround myself with.

Though it’s easier said than done, I do not listen to the advice everyone gives. Instead I surround myself with people who want to see me succeed. Anybody can be a critic. Anybody can be a naysayer. Anybody can point out how far I have to go. Anybody can rain on my parade. But not just anybody is willing to invest their time, their experience, their words in me to help me succeed in the film industry.

And so it is with these people I try to surround myself with. 2 of these people include Josh Sims & Tommy Davis. I met both while working on Josh’s film set earlier this summer.

Josh took a risk with me because I had never been on set before and had no clue what was going on really and yet since then he has been an advocate for me. He has tried to help me make connections and get my foot in the door on several occasions – even using his name, reputation & position to help push me through. Not only has he spoken words of encouragement when I needed them most but he has also called me out on speaking up more and making myself be heard and my presence known.

Tommy has also provided many words of encouragement at much needed times. He has been very generous in passing along his wisdom. Whenever I ask him for advice, he never holds back. Anytime I’m working on a project and I know what I want to do but am not quite sure how to do it, he always has a few things for me to try. He’s given me a lot of helpful information to grow as a filmmaker – books to read, concepts to learn and concrete things to practice. He’s even told me little things, like closeups and focusing, that I needed to work on which are basic but no one else had pointed out to me.

Josh and Tommy both have invested in me: their time, their wisdom, their experience and even their names & reputations. It is people like them that I try to surround myself with and listen to. People who encourage me. Who call me out. Who challenge me. Who push me. Who tell me things I don’t want to hear but yet I need to hear. Every piece of advice, every bit of encouragement, every critique, every challenge comes from a place of love because they are investing in me. And that is what makes all the difference.

Everything they are investing in me, everything they speak into me is coming from a place of love. Their words build me up rather than cut me down. I feel encouraged not discouraged. I am left feeling empowered instead of incapable. My confidence swells rather than shrinks.

Because their words, no matter how affirming or how hard they are to hear, come from a place of love, I always leave these conversations, emails & texts feeling like I’m ready to take on the world – with a little help of course!

So be careful little ears not just of what you hear but who you listen to. Because if you listen to the right people, you’ll be ready to take on the world too!

PS You can follow Josh & Tommy on Twitter!

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