Happy Wednesday, guys and girls!

We're just about 1 week away from Thanksgiving!  So exciting!  I'm headed with MAMA DALEY to San Diego next week to spend Thanksgiving with two of our amazing friends, Lindsay and Jamie!  San Diego's beachy-vibe is truly a world away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, and I hope to spend a lot more time down there in 2018!  (Plus, in SD, I'm not the only person who wears board-shorts every single day as opposed to LA!  Wooooo, I actually fit in fashion-wise!!)  

What are you up to for Thanksgiving?!  Please leave a comment below and keep me posted on what you're up to!

Now, on to the title of this post!  I hope that you will do THIS today:  
Make today the first day that you begin your journey toward your goals and dreams.  

Here on this blog, we talk a lot about the entertainment industry and I love to share lots of advice about this business.  As many of you know, one of my goals in my life has been to work in the entertainment biz.  And it's been a great time making that goal a reality over the past few years! However, like lots of people out there, I have other dreams and goals, too. I sometimes wonder, "How in the heck am I going to have the time and resources to be able to do everything that I'm hoping to do in my life?!"

As I just talked about inmy latest YouTube video yesterday, there's a wonderful quote that reads, "One day, or day one?  YOU DECIDE!"

I absolutely love this quote for several reasons.  Mainly, it reminds the reader of the quote that he or she is the only one who can make the decision about how their day is going to go.  We are the only ones who can decide to change or improve our lives. We all have a responsibility to ourselves to live our best life possible.  After all, as far as we know (and depending on what you believe) we are only here on this planet one time. (Anything else would be an added bonus, right?!)  

Let's just say for the sake of this post, we only have one trip on this ride called "life" and nothing else. Isn't it super important to LIVE IT UP every single day?  HECK YA!  

You get to decide, my friends.  What is your dream?  Have you been thinking about making your dream a reality? Have you wondered what could be possible if you quit your job and embarked on a brand new adventure? Have you been wondering what would happen if you asked out that cute guy or girl that you've been seeing at the cafe every week?   It's all possible to do!

Obviously, I'm not suggesting that you be reckless or weird and simply up and quit your job or confess your love to some random person! (I talk about that in my video too, so be sure to check it out haha.)  

I am suggesting, however, that you take the leap.  Stop putting off what you believe to be important.  "One day" will never come if you don't make that "one day" today.  

Don't put a lot of pressure on yourself.  Simply decide to do one thing today toward your dream or your goal.  By doing so, you will be embarking on a new journey in your life.

If you haven't checked out my book yet, An Aversion to the Definitive,I talk more about all of this in it!  Here's the link to my book, and I truly appreciate everyone who has read my book so far!   

(Also, be sure to check out some of the work from the incredible author/speaker Tony Robbins. The link is below and his teachings can seriously change your life!)

Finally, please enter your email up on the right side of this page.  That way you won't miss any further blog posts, including a NEW interview with awesome LA Casting Director Terry Berland, which will be up this week on the "interviews" portion of my blog!

LOTS OF LOVE

Jesse x  

What's up guys and girls!  I quickly wanted to encourage all of my actor friends to consider signing up for "Backstage" Magazine's audition subscription service. Backstage is a great resource for actors and I've been able to secure some good auditions through the site and through castings listed in the magazine.  It's worth checking out! Here's a link to sign up:  

Happy Monday morning, guys and girls!

It is currently 4:16 AM here in California and the skies are still dark.  After briefly standing outside on my year-round Christmas-light covered balcony (which is situated between Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd) I only saw on car drive by.  That's pretty remarkable for being in the middle of Hollywood, even at this hour! Obviously, many of my fellow Angeleno's are still fast asleep!

I thought I'd check in with all of you before I, too, head back to sleep for an hour or two more of healthy and relaxing shut-eye.  As some of you know already, I often enjoy writing at this hour of the morning and I do so primarily because I feel like I'm "cheating time" somehow! (I wrote a large portion of my first book, An Aversion to the Definitive, during these early-hours!). 

I know that it may sound kind of odd to be writing that I feel like I'm "cheating time." What I mean is that I feel as though I'm not missing out on any activities or events due to the fact that a large majority of my world here in L.A. is still in bed!  (I like to be in the middle of all of the action basically all the time!  And I honestly don't really enjoy sleep.  I have too much energy haha!).

That being said, I do certainly understand the importance of sleep and relaxation and I've realized through recent practices of meditation that it is possible to create a quiet, peaceful time regardless of what is occurring in the outside world.  Even during the most "busy" times of the day, which is typically what the Western World describes as the "9-5" workday, it is still entirely possible to take a break and take some time to yourself to reflect and work on being fully present in the moment.

In Los Angeles, even though this city doesn't really ever entirely "sleep," I have found happiness at this early morning hour due to the world around me being somewhat at rest.  Yet, finding happiness and peace can, of course, occur during all of our hours.  I have found in the past that I have felt a sort of need to be crazy-busy during typical "work" hours, yet this is mostly because that is what everyone else is doing.

Being "busy" is not the same thing as truly being "productive."  And it is definitely not necessary to do what everyone else is doing - ever in life!  What is necessary, in my opinion, is to be you and do what makes you happy.  And spend your time productively by sharing all the gifts that you have to offer at any hour of the day.  

Friends, my point in writing all of this to you at this early hour is that it is always important for you to enjoy your time and enjoy all of your moments.  Especially the peaceful, non-hectic moments!  And we can all create these moments, regardless of whether or not it is 4:54 AM (like it is right now!) or 4:54 PM.  

Utilizing our time wisely is key.  I encourage you to check out a couple of the books that I've listed below, written by motivational authors/speakers Wayne Dyer and Tony Robbins.  These individuals (along with meditation practices) have helped me to become enlightened to some of what I've described in this blog post in regards to time and productivity.

Now, I'm going to lay down for an hour or two and I will be filming a new YouTube video in a few hours, after I wake up, again.  (ALSO, I'll be uploading a new interview with Casting Director Terry Berland very soon!  Please subscribe to my email link for a notification!)  

Love ya!

Jesse x

      
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Happy Wednesday evening, guys and girls!  I hope the week’s treating you well so far. 

I was looking over my blog here today and it occurred to me that some of you (especially those of you who are newer visitors to Behind the Sign) may not really understand just what the heck this blog is all about!  Hence, I thought I’d take a quick minute to go back-to-the-basics explain to my readers what my intention has been over the past 6 years while owning and operating this site.

First, if you are a new visitor to my blog, thank you so much for being here!  It means a lot to me that you’ve taken some time out of your day to stop by.  Now, what exactly am I hoping that you’ll learn or take away from my page?

There are several things that I hope you’ll take away from my posts.  For those of you who are my actor friends, it is my goal to help inform you about some of the lessons that I’ve learned here over the years while living and working in Hollywood!  This city is amazing, but it’s equally intense!!

Since arriving to L.A., it’s been a passion of mine to share lessons that I’ve learned about acting and the entertainment industry to hopefully help you guys and girls achieve more success. Through interviews with some of the most influential members of the entertainment industry along with personal stories, it’s my hope that you’ll feel inspired to continue to pursue your passion of working in this business and to never give up.

For those of you who are not interested in the entertainment biz, you will also find helpful information here (I hope!) about being true to who you are, living life to the fullest on your own terms and reaching your highest potential. 

Guys and girls, obviously I don’t have all the answers, but in life I feel that it’s super important to share what we learn to try and help each other out.  SO, in short, that's what Behind the Sign is all about. 

And in case you were wondering about what is physically “behind” the iconic Hollywood sign, it’s basically just a bunch of rocks and dirt.  BUT there's some interesting history on that land, including a dedicated placard on one the rocks with Hugh Hefner’s name on it! (This is especially fitting due to the fact that the star donated $900K earlier this year to help preserve the land behind the sign!).  The next time I hike up to the Hollywood Sign, I’ll share a photo with you!
 
PS – A new interview with awesome Los Angeles Casting Director Terry Berland will be posted this week under the "Interviews" tab above!  Please subscribe to my email list so you don’t miss it!!
 
Lots of Love,
 
Jesse x 

Happy Monday, guys and girls!  
Soo, it's November now.  WHAT THE HECK! I'm not really sure where this year has gone! 

I'm also baffled about where the last 3 weeks-ish have gone in relation to my YouTube Channel.  I feel like I hadn't posted a video in forever!  BUT I just posted a new vid which includes some updates on what BENICE BEGAS and I have been up to, as well as a bit of singing! Here's the link to my latest video!  

Please leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed the video!

ALSO, I am working on another interview with an awesome Los Angeles casting director which will be posted right here to Behind the Sign under the "Interviews" tab above!

Talk soon! x

Jesse