Welcome back!
And thanks for reading! It’s no wonder the younger generations are unhappy. How do we “keep score” in life? Generally speaking, wealth seems to be what we point to, to think someone has “made it” or become successful. But money may be a bad way to “keep score”.
REMEMBER:
Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen. Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”. What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.
It’s not like it was…
I don’t think anyone will argue that things are not the same today as they were back when I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. In 1975 (a random year I picked for comparison – I was 15 then) median home price was just about $59K. Median car prices were roughly $5K. Median salary was just over $12K.
As of 2023…
Today (using 2023 since 2024 isn’t over yet) median home price is just under $383K. Median car prices are just under $60K. Median salary is just under $75K (I got these from Dr. Google, so can’t vouch for accuracy, but do make the point). Doing a bit of maths: Home prices have increased 550%. Car prices have increased 1100% (!!), while salaries have increased 500%. It’s no wonder households need more than one income to survive. Add to that: The cost of fuel, electricity, groceries, pretty much everything, and things look pretty bleak for young people trying to get established.
But it’s not really that simple…
Depending on where you live, those numbers can be even more skewed. Buying a home, part of “The American Dream”, depending on where you live, is nearly impossible when you are at the age to start a family. Shoot, sometimes RENTING is nearly impossible. It is, again, no wonder that a lot of 30-somethings are either returning home to live with their parents, or never left in the first place. Understanding that a car (and a cell phone, and internet access, among other things) is no longer a luxury, but a necessity makes things even more difficult.
School…and debt…
We’ve been told for decades that a college education is necessary to make it in the world, and to get that education the VAST majority of students have to take on (sometimes) crippling debt. In the 10’s if not 100’s of thousands of dollars. Having that debt alone reduces the available income to live on. Things are not looking good for our younger generations (I hate the label “millennial, just because today it has a somewhat negative connotation). It’s no wonder young people find it impossible to save for retirement. At the rate we’re going they’re going to wind up working till they die.
And let’s not even talk about health care…
Seriously, I’m not gonna talk about it. We all know it’s WAY too expensive and many people just stay sick instead of getting the care they need.
And the result?
Angst. Despair. Defeat. I see it in the majority of the people I know who are 40 or younger. The cost of living compared to the opportunity to make a living just doesn’t match, and there seems to be no end in sight. I’m glad I’m not just starting out today. I feel for those kids (yeah, I know they are adults, but to me…). Improving your lot is more complicated, more difficult, today too. It’s no wonder there is so much agitation today, and such a rift between boomers and millennials (I really do dislike that term). Young people just can’t use the same strategies we did to get ahead.
Money doesn’t matter…
I hear this quite a lot. When I talk to people about doing things (no, not skipping their coffee or avocado toast…those are ridiculous suggestions) that might help them increase their wealth this is a very common response: Money isn’t important to me. Work life balance, time with family and friends, entertainment, enjoyment…these are the things that are important. And they are important. All work and no play, after all.
The problem is…
Money DOES matter. No, I’m not talking about being rich, or greedy. I’m talking about the framework that presently exists. Without money, there is no home (even if it is an apartment), no car, no phone, and on and on. Even if you are living at home with your parents, money matters – just maybe theirs instead of yours! Money is absolutely not the most important thing in life, but it is certainly in the top 10, and many of the other 9 things in the top ten are either reduced or gone altogether without money. I mean, it’s no wonder so many people feel this way, but in the reality of the world it is a self-defeating way to feel.
So, what do you do?
Well, I am not an expert, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I have been circling the sun for 63 years and I may have seen some things. I like to think I’m not a typical boomer who thinks the strategies that worked for me will work today. And here is my big suggestion: Understand the framework in which we live (like it or not) and make decision within that framework until you can get to a point where you have the ability to change the framework.
Huh?
Yeah, I know…not clear…but here it is in (lengthier) layman’s terms: You don’t have to agree with the way things are, go ahead and rage against the machine, but you DO have to (or at least should) understand how things really are and use that understanding to get to a point where your raging against the machine may actually have some impact.
Here’s an example…
I was having a conversation with one of my kids about finding a place to live. He was adamant that he didn’t want to buy a house because it is “criminal to pay the bank all that money in interest when it is technically their house!”. Sound familiar? And yeah, it stinks. I don’t like it. But the other options aren’t pretty either: Rent and pay a lot of money to someone whose house it also technically is, live with your parents so THEY can pay a bank a bunch of interest, or find a field and pitch a tent. None are good choices but paying a ton of interest while you (albeit slowly) build equity in a property that also appreciates…is clearly the best choice. Understand the framework and work within it till you can change it. Anyway, this post is not abouit buying houses, it is just an example.
And what does this have to do with acting?
Well, I’m glad you asked. If you are an actor, then odds are you are one of the multitude of actors who is not making a “living” with their acting career. Therefore, you probably are (or need to be) working some full time 9-5 job to make ends meet. Which means you don’t have a lot of time to devote to acting if you are trying to live a “normal” life and go to bed at a reasonable time and have some leisure on the weekends.
And if you don’t LOVE acting…
If you don’t love acting, quit reading now, sorry I wasted your time. But if you do love acting, you are going to have to sacrifice now for a better later. Reality says you have to pay all your bills, or you’ll be homeless, so you HAVE to work that 9-5…but you don’t HAVE to go to bed at 10, or 11, or whenever you normally go to bed. You don’t HAVE to relax in front of the tube after dinner and you don’t HAVE to relax on the weekends. You don’t HAVE to sacrifice for an acting career either unless you someday want to be able to support yourself as a working actor. Given the fact that your acting career, at least for some period of time is going to require you to sacrifice something in your life…it’s no wonder so many people give up that dream.
So….
Don’t quit your day job, don’t skip the Froufrou coffee or avocado toast…but DO skip a normal life (I mean compared to non-actors of course) and sacrifice sleep, entertainment, vacations, and family time so that later you can have a successful acting career. And remember: Money is not REALLY what defines success, it just pays the bills so you can pursue it.
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