What an Emmy season. 💙

Over the past several months, I’ve had the opportunity to experience Emmy season in a way I never have before.

From FYC events and screenings celebrating Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, to doing 17 live morning shows and press interviews, the Women of Emmy Season event, presenting at the MacGuffin Awards, some very fun gifting suites, and finally attending the Emmys and Governors Ball, there have been so many moments when I’ve consciously reminded myself to…
stop, look around, be present in this moment and actually take it all in.

Whew!

And yes, I wore the blue dress my amazing community helped me choose! Thank you to everyone who voted, commented and joined in the fun. I truly felt like I had thousands of friends helping me get ready.

Emmy night was everything you’d imagine. Walking the carpet, doing interviews, celebrating incredible television, seeing old friends, being surrounded by artists I’ve admired for years, and thinking about how many auditions, rejections, unexpected turns and chapters of my life somehow led me to this very moment.

But something surprised me.

After this entire six-month season of consciously celebrating each milestone along the way, being at the Emmys felt incredibly special, and yet surprisingly familiar. And I’ve thought a lot about why.

I think it’s because of something I’ve learned about success and creating an extraordinary life:

It always begins on the inside.

You don’t wait for the external evidence to finally give you permission to feel successful, confident or worthy.

You practice becoming the person who can create it, receive it, hold it and enjoy it before the circumstances catch up.

You believe it before you see it.
And when it arrives, it actually feels familiar.

And because you’re not asking that moment to prove your worth, you can actually be present enough to enjoy it.

Here’s a sneak peek at all the Emmy night fun…

But the moment that brought this entire Emmy season full circle actually had nothing to do with an award.

A few weeks before the Emmys, my husband and I drove to Burbank after a gown fitting, specifically to see our giant Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat Emmy billboard.

I’ve spent much of my life reaching a milestone and then immediately moving the finish line, so I wanted to do something differently.

I wanted to stop. Celebrate. Take the picture. 
Receive the moment.

And while I was standing there, underneath this enormous symbol of external success, one of my Success Breakthrough Workshop students, Jacob Wilson, unexpectedly walked out of the parking garage beneath it.

He called my name, we hugged, and he told me how profoundly my work had impacted his life.

I remember looking up at the billboard and then back at Jacob and thinking about all the signs around me. There was the very literal one towering above me… and then there was the sign that my work mattered in an entirely different way.

The billboard was incredible.

But somehow, the bigger sign had just walked out from underneath it, reminding me of my two great passions: living my dreams while helping other people believe in and live theirs.

See the full story: The Sign I Never Expected Underneath Our Show’s Emmy Billboard 

And then, because apparently the universe really wanted to make sure I got the message..
I ran into Jacob again at The Emmys.

Of all the people. Of all the places. There he was again!

Seeing him again reminded me how deeply rewarding it is to know that my work is making a real difference in someone else’s life.

Awards are wonderful. Billboards are exciting. Invitations are fun. Beautiful dresses are really fun.
And external recognition can be a meaningful acknowledgment of work you’ve poured your heart into.

But none of it can permanently give you the feelings of worth, fulfillment or meaning you may be hoping it will provide.

That doesn’t mean we stop wanting those things. I certainly don’t. I have enormous dreams, and I’m excited about the rooms I haven’t even entered yet.

But I’m learning that I don’t have to ask the next room to give me something I can cultivate within myself right now.

Because there will always be another room.

And I’ve learned, that when you finally get into the room you’ve been dreaming about, eventually you notice another door. You get through that one and discover there’s another VIP room behind it.

And look, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to know what’s behind the next door. That’s ambition.

The danger is believing, When I finally get into THAT room, then I’ll feel successful. Then I’ll know I’m enough. Then I’ll finally relax. So here’s the key:

Learn to enjoy the room you’re in without needing the next room to define you.

I was especially grateful to share the evening with my dear friend Kate Linder, Governor of the Television Academy’s Performers Peer Group and longtime star of The Young and the Restless.

And throughout this entire season, I realized that some of the most meaningful moments weren’t just about what I was experiencing, but who I was able to impact along the way.

For me, some of the deepest fulfillment comes from
knowing that something I’ve learned, taught,
shared or created has helped another person believe
differently about themselves and what’s possible for their life.

Maybe that’s the reminder I want to carry with me from this entire Emmy season.

Celebrate the big moments. Receive the recognition. Wear the dress. Take the picture. Walk the carpet. Dream even bigger.

But don’t miss the signs.
Or the person standing underneath the billboard.

Because sometimes the seemingly smaller moment reminds you what the whole journey was really about.

So I’m wrapping up this Emmy season with a very grateful heart and one reminder for all of us:…

Success isn’t only about what we receive.
It’s also about what we’re able to give along the way.

Keep dreaming big. Keep defying doubt.  Keep celebrating how far you’ve come.
Keep believing in where you’re going.

And no matter what…

Keep going, Sunshine. 💛💛💛

Now I’d love to hear from you: What’s one “room” you’re dreaming of entering next…and what’s something you can celebrate about the room you’re in right now?

Leave me a comment below. I’d love to cheer you on. 💛

Love + Gratitude,
Wendy

P.S. If watching awards season brought up comparison, disappointment, or that familiar feeling that you’re somehow “behind,” I wrote something specifically for you about separating the circumstances of your life from the meaning you give them.
Read it here: Post-Emmy Funk? 11 Mindset Mantras To Improve Your Mood →

P.P.S. Ready to create more success from the inside out? I love sharing all I’ve learned with other creatives.
Check out my FREE masterclass, 5 Insider Secrets to Becoming a Successful Working Actor, and discover how to stand out, book more work and build real momentum. Save your seat here →