Journey Toward Financial Wellness for this Actor...Part 1

As I was going through my email, I opened one of the many email blasts I get from my union The Actor's Fund has their own website geared to helping Actor's deal with much of the day to day business of surviving. They apparently started a podcast and a few have some clips regarding Financial Wellness so, I am gonna post those clips here as a reference guide .for myself and anyone else interested. 

For more information on the Actor's Fund go to:   http://www.actorsfund.org/

Here's the first clip:

Finanical Wellness Part 1: Organizing Expenses
The fifth installment in The Actors Fund Podcast Series begins a conversation about financial wellness, specifically money management. This eleven-minute video will guide you through some steps you can take in organizing your expenses to better understand and manage your cash flow. We understand that traditional budgets are not always flexible enough for those in the entertainment and performing arts industry, so coming up with a good template for a basic month is a tremendously helpful tool to have in order to plan for a financial cushion, or contingency fund, for when dry spells occur. We provide you with a budget outflow worksheet you can download on our website here http://www.actorsfund.org/FinancialWellness to get you on your way to developing a positive, healthy relationship with money. After all, taking care of your money is just a regular part of taking care of yourself.

Creating the Vision of My Life and Acting On It...

Mary Manin Morrissey

Last night I wrapped up a 10 week workshop on prosperity led by Rev. James Mellon that met every Wednesday night at the Global Truth Center in the NoHo Arts District. The workshop was entitled Prosperity Plus. We met and watched a series of video classes led by Mary Manin Morrissey who guided us on a journey of understanding our relationship to money, prosperity from a spiritual standpoint, the power of tithing and much much more. We had assignments to do on our own then the 54 member class met with Rev James to discuss, put into practice, and experiment with the power of tithing; creating a "Vision Statement" and figuring out the actions you need to take to bring your vision of your life into reality; and allowing prosperity and abundance into our lives beyond just wanting more money.

It was a challenging and inspiring 10 week experiment that for many of us participating shifted things and stirred up issues regarding money and the roadblocks we put up in our lives, mentally to shut down the flow.

Rev. James Mellon

It was definitely an eye opening experience for me. I have created a vision plan focused on money, health, romance, career and home ownership. With the tools I have learned so far I will continue on my own to make the vision statement I created the reality of my life- however long it may take. The biggest take away I got from this workshop is that you can live your life day to day complaining about not having the things in your life that you want, or you can take the time to create a vision of what you want then take the steps to make it come true.  Hey if you're gonna be living anyway, you might as well create the life you want. Succeeding is almost the icing on the cake because I found the joy really is in the journey. I met some amazing people and I pushed myself out of my comfort zone so I could make the most out of this 10 week experience. It was worth it and I AM worth the effort to do whatever I can to live my best life!!

For the first time in a long time I feel jazzed to get up in the morning and proactively take some form of action to build the life I have by the design I have set for myself and not simply by default.



It has also inspired me to get my financial house in order and move myself out of the starving artist mode. I may start posting a few articles or videos I find on financial wellness, prosperity-what have you, in an effort to share with anyone who stumbles upon my pages here and might be on the same path.

If anyone gets a chance to check out a workshop by Mary Manin Morrissey, I would definitely recommend it. She has a presence and a definite skill at telling a story while she is educating you on how to take action to create your dreams. If you are in anyway interested in "Science of Mind" be sure to check out check out Rev. James Mellon. He is a powerfully passionate man who knows his stuff.

I am an actor, yet I don't know if I ever really took the time to come up with a vision and a plan for my life. They never covered that in my acting convervatory. If they did, I just did not get it. Having done so now, I feel not only empowered, I feel like I know this acting career of mine cannot do anything but be successful because I have moved to a deeper level of personal/spiritual commitment.

I cannot wait to see what unfolds from here on out! 
       

Keeping Things Moving!

Yikes! Thank God I have a few months to go before the LA Marathon! I've been training consistently but a few too many jello shots on Memorial Day Weekend led to an impromptu sprint down a certain street in Glendale that resulted in a pulled hamstring. Ouch! That was Saturday but I am finally recovering.

I will admit I wouldn't change a thing because sometimes ya just gotta cut loose and make a fool of yourself in the safety of friends!

 

Living By Design or Default....

It has been more than a minute since my last post. March and April have felt like a struggle. Mostly financial stress but I am determined to trust that as always things work themselves out.

I went home to Philadelphia toward the end of March to celebrate my mum's 87th birthday which was great but coming back to LA reminded me how disconnected I have been feeling lately. I felt a need to get proactive.

Whenever financial stresses arise, I notice I am feeling a bit adrift with my spiritual self.  I decided to get back to living my beliefs. That required getting my ass outta bed and attending services at the Global Truth Center, where I became a member last October. The center focuses on the teachings of Ernest Holmes and Science of Mind thinking.  For me, it is very empowering and challenging to actually live my beliefs. I have recently signed up to participate in a 10 week "Prosperity Plus" workshop. The workshop has forced me to address my feelings on tithing and learning to allow myself to imagine what kind of life I would love to be living and actually do the work to make it a reality.

One of the concepts that has stuck with me is the idea of living by default or design. The speaker said, if you look at a year in your life, you have a choice. You can allow life to happen to you accepting the events as they come or you can decide how you would like your life to be and go about the work of making it happen. The year is going to go by whether you want to or not. So, why not spend that life GOING FOR IT and enjoying each day?

Another activity has been creating a vision statement for my life that address 4 areas: Financial, Relationships, Health, and Creative Expression. At the moment I am focused on my health and enjoying challenging myself to create the body I want rather than settling for the body my lazy choices have made..  

Okay...last year I backed out of running the LA Marathon. But thanks to my pal Heather agreeing to run with me next year, I am committed to running the 2015 LA Marathon and most importantly, dropping 45 yes, 45 lbs in the process. I am marking this as my first official day of training so it is posted with a date and I can't go back without hanging my head in shame for being a quitter!!

It is sad to say I am currently sporting a not so healthy 220 lbs which is the most I have ever weighed in my life. (Most of the excess is belly fat- which has to go!!) It may not be much for some but it is more a reminder of my letting myself go and living by "default" and not "design". Like I said, you can either let life happen to you or you can design the path you want your life to take and GO FOR IT!

2014 for me has been about WAKING UP, choosing to be HAPPY and LIVING my life to the FULLEST, regardless of the opinion of others. I have been nicotine free since January 5th and now I am ready to get this body exactly where I want it! I'm not looking for overnight results but a year of slow and steady hard work.

Wish me luck!

Attached is a video of the Marathon course. A little motivation to keep me going until Sunday, March 15, 2015! 

 

Honoring Your Dreams...Honoring Your Roots...

The D'Arcy Clan in Guyana

This post may seem very strange. I know. However, I believe in the power  and importance of our dreams. So when I dream pops out at me, I try to listen to whatever message is being sent my way.

So, I was sitting at my computer and found myself asleep without realizing it. I was dreaming i was sitting at my computer and my grandfather whom I have never met but know only through stories my mother, her sisters or my older siblings would mention, appeared to me. Growing up, "Danny Boy" was a song my mum and her six sisters would sing as kids and would sing at some point whenever they got together at a family gathering in America. This song has been my strongest connection to my grandfather. Now, as strange as this sounds I was watching television and decided to check out my blog. I dozed briefly a moment ago and dreamed my grandpa was asking me to remember him and listen to this song. Honestly, I'm not sure when the dream began. It just happened. It was so outta no where, I felt the need to follow this dream request... So, I dedicate this to my grandfather, Charles Reuben D'Arcy, whom I never met but whose memory has shaped my life and those of the D'Arcy Clan wherever in the world they may be...

HANNIBAL Get's Cooking Again Tonight on NBC!!!

HANNIBAL RETURNS TONIGHT ON NBC!!!! I'm slightly disturbed as to why I like this show so much... Watch these clips and prepare for the season 2 premiere tonight!!!!

February: Month End Check in on 2014 Goals

I am still working on holding myself more accountable to working on my goals for 2014. I'm logging in for my second
month end check-in just to keep me honest.

So far, things are looking pretty good.

1. I quit smoking "cold turkey" on January 5th and am going closing in on 2 months with no desire to smoke.
2  I also, have been using my LA Fitness membership.

Yes, I'm going to the gym almost every evening. For the month of February, my goal has been to add more exercises to my treadmill walking. I have to learn to take this slowly. I've had days when I pushed myself so hard and lost myself in my ipod music that I found myself exhausting my back.  The harder workout has forced me to look at how bad I have been at making sure I eat well and sleep 7 hrs. I still see this as progress!!

3. My biggest success this month has been my Spanish studies. Yes! I have started watching a new telenovela "En Otra Piel" on Telemundo. I have the closed captioning on so I can read the Spanish and pick out words I am not familiar with to look up in my dictionary.  I'm finding great success with this method. As the Spanish on television is sounding less like blah blah blah , I'm actually understanding more and more of what is being said. Somedays I leave the tv on Telemundo and listen. I have to admit, I'm becoming a big fan of "Caso Cerrado". 

I also got an I-phone app called "Duolingo". I love it. I'm creating my own version of Spanish immersion right here in Los Angeles!  I'm slowly branching out into small conversations via text with friends and in person with a few neighbors.  I am taking the long view on this goal but I feel I am making tremendous progress as I find the years of study I thought were lost are bubbling up to the surface of my mind.

It is strange, I got sick over the weekend and found myself with laryngitis all week.  Not being able to talk much has had me listening more to everything. I had moments when I responded to things in my head in Spanish and was like "Wait! What just happened?"  It was fun and weird but I guess not being able to speak has me craving self-expression anyway I can. :)


4. I have been getting a bit more social.
I treated a friend to go see a mutual friend perform in a play. It was a fun and interesting adventure into the heart of Hollywoood. I can't believe it would have actually have been more convenient to catch the mtero train from North Hollywood to Highland avenue. The theater was across from the Dolby Theater so parking was hellish. We still had fun.

I also made a point to meet friends I got together with this month at a neighborhood cafe called Priscilla's Gourmet Coffee and Tea shop. It was just a way to push me to go out and be social. Unfortunately, getting laryngitis this week made my monthly foodie adventure with my buddie Larissa fall off the schedule. Hey, it has been painful swallowing water so I simply would not have enjoyed any foodie outing.

5. I set up some goals to save for using my Capital one 360 accounts and have found this a smart way for me to get in the habit of saving toward things. I also have been using Mint .com to track my finances without any BS. It is a bit humbling learning to set a budget, learning to live within a budget, and recognizing how much I have been living beyond my means. Recognizing this, I have set small goals to reduce spending, pay off debts and gradually live beneath my means.

I have to say I am very proud I am finally getting my finances under control. This is a long term journey and it will take a while but I am creating new healthy habits in so many areas of my life, I can only be grateful!

Life is GREAT! Month 2 is ending but 10 more months left to grow and increase my JOY and NET WORTH!!!