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One of my all time favorite shows is “America’s Got Talent.” You can be 8 or 80 and try out, it makes no difference. The only problem with this show is that out of thousands of auditions they only choose 20 acts to go through, then weed those 20 down to 1 winner.

But do you know how huge the entertainment industry is?! Did you also know that you can live just about anywhere near a big city in the US and find work in entertainment if you have some talent?

I had a friend a few years ago that took some acting classes through a junior college. It just so happened that the professor also produced commercials and he when he saw how good she was he offered to hook her up with some commercial directors. There’s local commercials produced in every state (for both radio and TV) that are constantly looking for local actors and good voices.

Another friend I grew up with was good at making clothes. She got a job working at Orange County Performing Arts Center in their costume department. Soon she was hired by one of the traveling Broadway companies for a major production and her career took off from there.

Anyway, the point is that if you have a little bit of talent you might just find your way into the entertainment industry in your local area. You can make it a career or just do it part time, but there’s money to be had!

Check out local colleges for acting classes, art and costume design, computer graphics, sound and animation. These are great places to meet people that might hook you up with an interview. Also, any certificate you earn looks good on a resume.

Also, if you have a talent for:

• Singing – any type
• Dancing
• Playing an instrument well, no matter what it is.
• Acrobatics
• Costume design
• Stage set design
• Lighting and sound production
• Writing
• Video
• Film editing
• Modeling

Look to see if there’s any dinner theaters or local playhouses in your area. These places usually hire local talent for all the positions.

Do you have a pleasant voice and know how to sound animated? Contact some of the radio stations in town and offer your services for commercials. They might not pay much but it’s a great experience and you can create a demo CD for bigger jobs by doing local ones first. As a commercial producer for a local radio station in my town I hired just about anybody that had a knack for animated sounding voice work.

If you have a talent for modeling all (ages and sizes) then look for professional managers in your area. You might wind up in a newspaper print ad or catalog. Maybe even modeling a local designer’s wear in a professional show.

In these trying times no matter what a person may do, no door will open to find employment in the field they have been trained in. So what’s a person to do? Many people decide to be proactive and take the proverbial bull by the horns and go another route. It’s called re-inventing yourself. It can be done, many, many people are doing it every day. The following article will give you some new ideas. Please read on…

Do you like your life the way it is? Would you like to change some, or all of it? Well, here’s good news: You can be whatever you want to be. You can re-invent yourself. I know because I did!

You may have a whole lifetime to undo or re-invent, but if you are determined, and ready to put in the effort, anything is possible. You can have a new you!

Here are 7 steps to a new, improved, re-invented you!

1) Make two detailed lists comprising: (a) all the things you like about yourself and want to keep, (b) all the things you don’t like about yourself and want to change. Examine both lists and ask yourself why you like what you like, and why you want to change what you want to change. Write out your answers as two separate statements. Keep these statements where you can see, and read them everyday.

2) Work on your “Want-to-Keep” list everyday. Keep on doing what you’ve been doing, and you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting! Also, work on your “Want-to-Change” list everyday, but in a different way. Take each item on this second list and re-state it as a goal. Remember your goals must be Specific (clear and unambiguous), Measurable (a specific weight, time, sum of money etc), Attainable (within your stated time frame and resources), Realistic (in your eyes) and Tangible (something you can perceive with your senses, not “imagine” with your mind!)

3) From your “Want-to-Change” list, identify your 3 most important goals, the ones that will make the most impact on your life, and bring about the new you. Write out a day-by-day, step-by-step plan for attaining each of these goals.

4) Identify possible pitfalls or obstacles to your plan. Set up contingency plans to circumvent these hurdles. Do not stop at them. No one can stop you from reaching those goals but you.

5) Take action on your plan. Work those goals! Even a small step on your plan each day will move you closer to the new you! If you fall behind, or fall out altogether, just think of the lovely new life you stand to gain if you would just try. Imagine what it would look and feel like to be the new you. Know in your heart that it is possible, but it is also up to you. You owe it to yourself to get back up and on with the program. Only time, patience and action separate you from your goal.

6) Reward yourself for progress. Forgive yourself for slip-ups. Then move on. No time for Pity Parties!

7) Stay motivated. Think on your reasons for wanting to make the change. Visualize the outcome of your goals, vividly. Hang out with people who encourage you to keep at it. Stay away from negative people, at least till you “get there!” Read motivational books, employ a coach to help you stay on track. Enlist a supportive friend, to rejoice with you at each success, and encourage you at each challenge.

That’s it! Re-inventing yourself will never be easy. You are going against patterns that may have been established for years. It will take determination, effort and patience, but it is possible, and ultimately rewarding.

I went through a process of re-invention a few years ago. I went from an overweight, unhealthy, plain-dressed, unfulfilled, job-holder, to a slim, trim, healthy, trendy, self-employed, fulfilled entrepreneur. Instead of holding a job, I now do my life’s work. I am working my own goals, and getting the results I desire. I am still not all that I want to be. But I am closer to my goals than to my starting point. No one will ever be “picture-perfect” in this life. But “fulfilled and satisfied” is the name of the game for me! And I sure am glad I had the courage to try.

People and circumstances will oppose you, saying, “It isn’t possible”, or, “Why can’t you just be satisfied with what you’ve got?” (The answer to that is, “Because I’m no ordinary person!”) But if you think your dreams are worth the effort, and you are willing to do what it takes, you can have whatever you want.

Dreams still do come true. And you don’t require a fairy god-mother! Setting and working your goals is how it works in the real world. So be bold, take action and enjoy the new you!