Happy Thursday, my friends!  This photo was taken at the premier of, "Don't Pass Me By," a feature film that Liz helped to make!!  Please take a minute to hear some of Liz's advice about making a movie in my latest article on http://www.acting.about.com!  

*ALSO*  Leonard Izzo who is pictured here, (Liz's dad,) is the man.  Haha.  

This is one of my all time favorite quotes!  Thank you, Theodore Roosevelt, for such an inspirational message!! 

Success is a byproduct of working extremely hard towards a goal.  Working hard towards a goal, and never giving up, has a tremendous amount  to do with BELIEVING that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to.

It's not always easy to believe that things are going to work out, especially when you're faced with difficulty.  It is understandable that you may be fearful!  However, you must choose not to give into fear, and you must instead choose to "take the bull by the horns," and face your fears.  

Remind yourself that you have the power to do anything that you want to do.  Believe that you can and will reach your goals!  Don't let anyone, (including yourself,) stop you!  

I often advise my friends to "treat themselves like they would treat a friend."  For example, if you're upset with yourself because of a particular choice you have made, and dealing with regret, don't beat yourself up!  Or, if you're upset that you're sick, or not accomplishing all your goals in a timely manner, don't be hard on yourself.  Treat yourself like a friend.  You would never become angry at your friend for these things!  You'd never say, "You should have known better," for example.  Instead, you'd encourage your friend to keep moving forward!  You'd also remind your friend that things always get better!  

Be kind to yourself.  And remind yourself, often, that things will always work out - even if you don't know exactly when they will work out.  You just have to believe that they will.  :)      

Yep, I've covered this song before - but I was in the mood to remind you guys and girls again!  :)   

(Boyce Avenue's acoustic cover of:  Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are")

Happy Monday, guys and girls!  It's a brand new day.  What are you going to do with it?  Although you may have a busy day planned into your schedule, it is very important to always acknowledge that simply waking up in the morning is a huge gift, and we must do everything within our power to seize the day!  As you can see from some of my previous blog posts, I have found that at times, living in Hollywood can be extremely stressful!  Personally, I don't like a lot of stress, and I always look for ways to alleviate feeling overwhelmed or feeling stressed.  Life's too short to be stressed, my friends!  

I always find water to be relaxing.  I love the ocean, which is why I go there so often!  However even sitting by a lake, a pool, or even a fountain, for example, tends to relax me!  I challenge you to find something that you love to do that is relaxing today.  Or, go somewhere that you love to go that you find rejuvenating- (possibly the beach!!) 

Regardless of how busy your schedule is, pencil in some time to truly ENJOY yourself, and truly LIVE!  
Enjoy your day x

Hey, guys and girls!  I hope that you have had a wonderful start to the weekend!  I tweeted earlier today about "smiling a lot," which is something that I like to constantly remind my readers and followers!  It is my hope that you beautiful guys and girls smile every single day.  

However, that being said, I also understand that there are times when things in life can be very difficult, and it can be very hard to smile.  There are times when we all feel overwhelmed, and feel that things are just not getting any better.  If you are having a difficult day today, I want you to remind yourself of a few things:  

1)  You are amazing person, and you are a lot stronger than you think.  Whatever it is that you are going through, you will get through it.  

2)  Take things one step at a time.  When you feel overwhelmed, a lot of your feelings are due to feelings of a "lack of control" of a situation, which may in turn create feelings of fear.  Don't be afraid. No matter what you're dealing with, if you tackle the issue by taking things one step at a time, I promise you that you will ultimately feel much better, and things in your life WILL get better.    

3)  Write.  I find that writing about how I am feeling helps a lot when I'm feeling upset or overwhelmed about something.  You may even want to share some of your writings/feelings with a trusted friend.  

I also want to point out that I am always here for you guys and girls!  Please don't ever hesitate to tweet to me!  

LOTS OF LOVE.  And here's to lots of SMILES!  :) 

I am obviously very excited!!  Who do you think will be a winner!?  Leave a comment here, or on http://www.acting.about.com!!  

*If you're an actor and are not at "The Oscars" this year, do not give up!!  You will be there next year. NEVER GIVE UP!*  

:)

Isn't this photo awesome!!  I found it online today, and it shows exactly what L.A. has looked like the past couple of days!  We truly need the rain here!  I have been very busy writing for "acting.about.com" this afternoon, and I am very excited for you to read more of my material!  

I originally was going to stop posting on "Behind The Sign," but I just can't keep myself off of it!  Although it is my hope that you will learn from my site at about.com, I also hope that you'll continue to stop by "Behind The Sign" once and a while, too!  MUCH LOVE, guys and girls!!  :)

*photo credit:  http://dzineblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/20-raining-los-angeles.jpg