he didn’ t get sidetracked. It wasn’ t an agent that got him acting work, rather it was his carpentry. Carpentry put him in front of decision makers much faster and became an indirect path to meaningful acting opportunities. You’ ll see how in just a moment.
3. Ford created a good reputation for himself.
Once he decided to start a carpentry business Ford made that his priority. This was obvious because he would often show up for auditions that were scheduled in the evening, still dressed in his work overalls. The effort and focus he put into building his carpentry business paid off in the form of positive word of mouth. The quality of his work was so good that many people referred him to friends. He developed a great reputation which led to a steady stream of referrals, which eventually led him to George Lucas’ door!
4. Ford made his own luck.
“ Luck? I don’ t know anything about luck. Luck to me is something else: Hard work- and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’ t.” Lucille Ball
Ford ultimately met George Lucas because of the carpentry work he was doing for Fred Roos, a producer and casting director, who was later hired by Lucas to do the casting for American Graffiti. Impressed with the work ethic Ford displayed as a carpenter, Roos also hired Ford for a movie role on behalf of Lucas. Lucas grew fond of Ford, and of course this led to Ford being cast for roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones. This didn’ t happen because Ford was lucky, it happened because Ford was working hard at making a living through his carpentry while pursuing an acting career. Instead of waiting for a lucky break, Ford had created a unique opportunity for himself to meet influential people.
What about you? Do you have a second set of work skills? Perhaps, in Harrison Ford’ s case, his secondary career as a carpenter allowed him to build a path to movie stardom. Where might your second job lead you? TQR
Let’ s Take A Break!
The 12 biggest companies paying workers the least.
1. Wal-Mart 2. Yum! Brands 3. McDonald’ s 4. Target 5. Sears 6. Burger King 7. Starbucks 8. DineEquity 9. Macy’ s 10. Wendy’ s 11. Darden Restaurants 12. J. C. Penney
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