"Woolson has proven himself to be the go-to coach for actors who are serious about their craft."
Noela Hueso, The Hollywood Reporter
We Are What We Do, Not What We Say
Beautiful Meditation

Sometimes we forget that, despite what we say with our mouths, our actions can tell something completely different. If you want to know who you are, look at your daily actions, and they will tell the real story.

Make no mistake about it, the things you spend most of your time doing is how the world sees you.

What are you doing with your free time? Are you working toward ascension, or is all that time spent on social media slowly adding up and keeping you from doing things that are better for you? Look at the actions of your life and ask yourself “is this who I want to be?”

Years ago, an old friend of mine in his late thirties came to me with a problem. He had achieved a certain amount of success early in his twenties, but he had plateaued and was struggling to make new steps forward in his life and career. He was extremely intelligent and one of the funniest guys I knew. He wanted more respect as an actor and to eventually find the right girl to settle down with and start a family.

One night, he came to me in a moment of pain after another breakup with another great girl. He was depressed and desperate and wanted to know if I had any advice for him. I told him with as much compassion as I could that his actions were that of a typical guy in his early twenties and less like a responsible adult. He was still doing recreational drugs on a regular basis, going to clubs at least two nights a week, and slept around. The truth is that in order for things to change for him in all aspects of his life, he would have to live differently. The reason I give this example is because he didn’t understand that his actions were keeping him stagnant. Even after I told him this, he made no changes. He wouldn’t accept that his behavior was repeating the same story over and over.

Many of us do this on one level or another. We want something new to happen in our lives, but we don’t want to change what we do to get it. Why? Because it’s painful and difficult for us to look at what we need to work on. We will likely have to give up some things that we enjoy right now for things that are better for us. For example, eat that veggie salad instead of picking up another bacon cheeseburger, read a self-help book over surfing the net, or workout instead of sleeping in that extra half-hour.

On a personal note, when I was younger (despite wanting to be at the top of my game), my habits and addictions often didn’t line up with how I wanted my life to be. I often sabotaged myself with distracting, negative relationships, drugs of different sorts, and I was the king of avoiding new challenges. I always thought I could get away with moving around a problem and avoiding it instead of taking it head on and going through it. I was living in limbo until I met a mentor who had the courage and compassion to look at me in the eyes and tell me that I needed to adjust my habits and actions.

More recently, my wife and I had our first child, and I am doing my best to back up my love for my baby with actions. It’s not enough to say I love him. If I want to be a good dad, it means spending time doing things with him and caring for him, changing diapers, taking him out for walks, helping with bath time, and reading and applying the wisdom from the book on parenting my wife asked me to check out. It also means constantly making sure the actions I choose set the best example for my little boy.

I don’t mean to have you beat yourself up or blame yourself if your life’s actions don’t seem to line up with how you would like to live in the world. My intention is to awaken you from fantasy and empower you with the knowledge that you have the potential to change your paradigm. If you find that you are a person who doesn’t follow through with what you say, start to do more and say less. Stop making excuses and just begin. Show up in a big way, and it will likely pay off one way or another. Just taking a step like eating healthier or getting organized can make a huge difference.

I realize that there are times and situations where it’s difficult to change your circumstances because of financial issues or traumatic emotional events, but if we change our behavior as needed, eventually our lives will better reflect our dreams.

Some helpful steps to start the process of aligning your actions with the life you want

1. Write down any addictions or behaviors that distract you from being your best self.

2. Look at your list of behaviors and addictions and ask yourself the question: “Which of these can I reasonably eliminate or reduce in order to be my better self?”

3. Make a decision to eliminate and/or reduce that behavior.

4. Now ask yourself: “What are one or two healthy things can I do to replace the old behavior and move my life forward in a big way?”

5. Make a list of these possible new behaviors (e.g. meditation, a cleanse, a new class, a new hobby or skill, etc.).

6. Now take the necessary steps to eliminate the old behavior and replace it with the new, healthy habit.

7. Repeat these steps on a continual basis.


Michael Woolson has become one of the most prominent and respected acting coaches in Los Angeles. He is recognized for his unique ability to cultivate depth and authenticity from his students in an environment that is nurturing and inspiring. Woolson has worked with thousands of actors from talented up-and-comers to award-winning celebrities. He is the author of The Work of an Actor and Emotion on Demand: An Actor’s Workbook for Mastering Emotional Triggers.

For more, follow Michael on Facebook and Twitter.

*Photo Credit: nettsu via Compfight cc

Advice on Advice: The Credibility Factor
Photo Credit: Kristy Morrow 2013 All Rights Reserved

Would you hire an auto mechanic to give you advice about open-heart surgery? Of course not, you’d likely go to a cardiologist. Hopefully, you’d seek out the best one you could afford. The idea of finding expert help may seem obvious in this extreme case, but how often do we seek expert advice in day-to-day matters? Let’s face it, on issues that we deal with daily, many people are willing to take shoddy advice from family, friends, or even strangers. Think about it, how many times have you received relationship advice from friends who have never had a great, long-term relationship? How about financial advice from someone who is typically broke or even professional advice from someone whose career is less than inspiring?

It’s not just bad advice that we take from others that can get us into trouble; it’s also our own poorly informed advice to ourselves.

After all, we aren’t experts in everything. How can we be sure that we get perfect advice every time? The answer is we can’t, but we have much better odds if we simply listen to those who are experts in the area we need help.

Years ago while taking a self-improvement course, I learned a bit of wisdom that would change my life indefinitely. In the course, we would present a problem to the group and receive feedback from the teacher as well as the fellow students. Some of this peer feedback was not helpful, while other times, it was extremely helpful. The teacher then pointed out the obvious lesson:

“Don’t take advice from someone who doesn’t have credibility in the area that you need help.” Said another way, “Don’t take advice from people who don’t have the specific results you are looking for yourself.”

This means when you are at the gym and some dude gives you advice on how to get the “perfect body,” you first look his body and ask yourself, “Is this the body I want? Does this guy have credibility?” If the answer is “yes,” listen to what he has to say and consider doing it. If the answer is “no,” politely thank him and go find someone that embodies the answers you’re looking for.

Let’s say a friend gives you relationship advice. Do his relationships seem loving and passionate? Do you admire this individual’s life in that area? If so, by all means, model your behavior after his and see if you get those same positive results. If not, be cautious. Your life equates to the sum total of your decisions, both good and bad.

Of course, I think it’s also important to mention that this goes for our own advice to others as well. Do you dispense advice in areas you don’t have credibility? If you do, I would advise for you to stop. I am not a stockbroker, and, personally, I know very little about the machinations of the market and how stocks work, but I once gave advice to a friend to buy a stock that had gone up significantly every year since the day I bought it. I just wanted my close friend to benefit as I had. Well, I’m sure you know where I’m going with this, but wouldn’t you know the day I told him, he went out and invested his whole savings on hundreds of shares of this one stock. To both of our surprise, after rocketing for over five years, the stock split and began to sink for the first time.

I felt horrible and wished that I could take back that advice. My friend lost more than half his savings, and because he never got expert advice, sold the stock and lost a good deal of money. Yes, this was his choice that he ultimately made, but it hurt our relationship nonetheless.

To make matters worse, as soon as he sold the stock, it then rebounded and did quite well. I tell you this not because it’s a unique story, but because this is an example of advice (with good intentions) gone horribly wrong.

No expert was ever called upon in this case. So as much as it wasn’t my fault (ultimately people make their own choices), I still felt guilty and somewhat responsible. Had my friend understood how to seek credible advice, this likely would have never taken place or, at the very least, moderated his losses. Looking back at this now as I have more knowledge of investments, a professional likely would have given him the advice to diversify (put his investment into a few different areas, not just one stock) in the beginning or advised him to hold the stock a bit longer, knowing that it would go back up with the economy as it did.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. It is possible to get great advice from people without the necessary experience you are looking for—whether it’s your own instinct, a good friend, or someone with a lot of education in a particular area. My whole point is to pause and ask yourself this question before proceeding: Does this source have credibility? Doing so will often save you time, money, and unnecessary anguish.

It feels good to give others advice. After all, we are taking on the role of an expert. It strokes our ego and makes us feel smart and well rounded, but, in the end, this can be dangerous. Yes, people can still get burned with experts, but it’s much less likely over the long haul.

So, lets go over the key questions you might consider when dispensing your wisdom or deciding from whom you might take advice:

1. Do you or this person have the positive results in the area you are giving advice?

2. Do you or this person have a good amount of education in the area in question?

3. Have you or this person made good life decisions in this area?

4. Is the advice you’re willing to offer good enough so that you aren’t unnecessarily risking a personal or business relationship?

So, the next time you need advice or give advice, ask yourself if this person has credibility.

This is my advice to share with you. Do I have credibility? Well, that is for you to decide. :-)


Michael Woolson has become one of the most prominent and respected acting coaches in Los Angeles. He is recognized for his unique ability to cultivate depth and authenticity from his students in an environment that is nurturing and inspiring. Woolson has worked with thousands of actors from talented up-and-comers to award-winning celebrities. He is the author of The Work of an Actor and Emotion on Demand: An Actor’s Workbook for Mastering Emotional Triggers.

For more, follow Michael on Facebook and Twitter.

*Photo Credit: See El Photo via Compfight cc

Be Yourself: No More, No Less
Be Yourself: No More, No Less

Be yourself. It’s a statement that people often dismiss as something doting mothers say, but it is actually a very poignant piece of advice.

For instance, have you ever seen a guy who’s trying to be more than what he is? He’s fifty-five, driving a sports car, wearing designer clothing that someone half his age would wear, trying to pick up twenty year olds, and showing off his face lift or hair plugs. It’s like he’s saying, “I’m not old, bald, or okay-looking. I’m a hot, rich, thick-haired, young stallion.” The truth is that he’s not fooling anyone. Wouldn’t your opinion of him be more favorable if he accepted his real age and appearance? This is an extreme example, but almost everyone does it on some level. If you’re an okay-looking person, be an okay-looking person. I know, how dare I say something like that. But the truth is that we are only beautiful when we stand firmly in what we truly are.

Consider this: Is the purse you carry or the watch you wear part of your self-esteem? Do you find yourself telling people that you have more going on than you really do? Can you afford the car you drive, or is it out of your budget and you’re holding onto it to appear more successful?

Thinking of yourself as less than you are can be just as limiting. I coached a woman once that physically shrank her body at events because someone in her past told her being tall was unattractive. Others simply don’t give themselves enough credit. Do you brush it off when your friends tell you that you’re talented? Are you negative when you talk about your abilities?

Trying to be something you’re not can be very off-putting, so be honest with yourself. If you come to me thinking that you know everything, a simple note like “listen more” will bounce right off of you. Something inside of you will say you’re too good for simple coaching. That’s your ego talking, and it needs to be looked at.

The irony is that the very thing we’re trying to cover up is often the thing that will make us interesting to others.

Think about a woman who wears way too much make-up. Too much make-up always says, “I’m trying to be more than what I am.” Older, younger, prettier, etc. A woman who stands in her truth simply says, “I am.” That is beautiful. So, stand in the reality of who you are. I’m bald. I’m old. I’m young. I’m still learning. Stay away from denying your insecurities. People who do this are uncomfortable to be around because they’re lying to themselves and the rest of us. Many celebrities who aren’t what you’d call classically beautiful are, in fact, charismatic and very watchable. Why? Because they have (for the most part) embraced themselves, flaws and all. Look at Will Farrell. He stands in the fact that he looks like an ordinary guy and plays leading roles.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to become a better you, to ascend to something greater than what others would expect for you, but do so truthfully. You’ll be surprised to find that when you embrace who you are, the world will seem to say yes to you.

So what are you waiting for? Be what you are, no more, no less.


Michael Woolson has become one of the most prominent and respected acting coaches in Los Angeles. He is recognized for his unique ability to cultivate depth and authenticity from his students in an environment that is nurturing and inspiring. Woolson has worked with thousands of actors from talented up-and-comers to award-winning celebrities. He is the author of The Work of an Actor and Emotion on Demand: An Actor’s Workbook for Mastering Emotional Triggers.

For more, follow Michael on Facebook and Twitter.

*Featured image is of Michael’s wife.