While living and training in New York City, I often had to wait tables to make enough money to live and pay my bills. Though some refer to a job like this as a “survival job,” I actually found that waiting tables taught me many valuable lessons about life and my craft. I hope these 10 things will encourage you to grow in your career, whether as a server or an actor.
1. Commitment and discipline. Showing up means more than merely just showing up. It means showing up, ready to work and on time. In both acting and life, so much of what you need for success is rooted in your ability to be ready and prepared—think about how hard it would be to play a character if you weren’t. There are many times in both acting and serving when I just don’t want to be there; my ego is frustrated and angry, or I’m not in the mood to deal with people. Maybe I don’t want to explain the menu or memorize material or do breath work. But I’ve learned that sometimes you just have to fight through it because that’s where the real things happen. You begin to like it, then you begin to love it, and soon it doesn’t feel like work at all.
2. Playing the positive. Not ever table I
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