#234 - When You Stop Taking the Crumbs the Right Doors Start to Open

Have you ever made a declaration about what you want and then almost immediately life hands you an opportunity to test exactly that?

Salisha is in the middle of one of those moments right now. And she is letting you in.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Why the universe has a habit of testing your proclamations right after you make them
• The Broadway opportunity that showed up at the worst possible time and what she did about it
• What the pandemic taught her about her own worth that she could not have learned any other way
• The moment she realized she was done taking whatever was dangled in front of her
• The inner monologue that stopped her from saying yes to something she did not actually want
• What happened when she finally held her ground and waited for what she actually desired

The old way is always going to feel safer. That is the point of the test.

The question is what do you do when you are standing at that crossroads.

CHAPTERS:

• [01:08] Welcome back and baby Ajax is here
• [01:59] Heat Free Hair sidebar and a possible collab
• [02:58] Today's episode: when the universe tests you
• [03:49] The old way always feels safer
• [04:23] The diet and fitness test we all know too well
• [04:38] The acting version: I'm done taking certain roles
• [05:04] What happens when the universe puts it right in front of you
• [05:53] Something magical happens when you stick to your guns
• [06:52] The show I always wanted finally came to Broadway
• [07:53] They offered me a role I did not want and I said no
• [08:17] The pandemic taught me I can live without Broadway
• [09:19] Holding the line even when it got complicated
• [10:34] The inner monologue that kept me honest
• [11:40] I said no and walked away from the table
• [12:28] And then the role I actually wanted opened up
• [13:15] What would your future self say to you right now

Edited & Produced by AMPLIFY by Metafit Metamind
https://www.metafitmetamind.com

@salishathomas @thesalishashow, www.thesalishashow.com

Many thanks to Gotham Network in NYC, TyNia Brandon for writing and laying vocals down for the updated theme song and Big Red Studios for the intro video wherever you watch the latest season of The Salisha Show!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I don't know how the story ends, but it is worth noting that had I said begrudgingly that I was willing to take a role that I did not want to take for many reasons, had I said yes to that, I would still be on that track, even though the role that I actually want has just opened up. They would not be considering me for this because they need people to be willing to take these roles over here. What does it really look like to build your dream life while you're living it? One day I'm on stage singing with Hugh Jackman at 36 weeks pregnant, just trying not to give birth in Oklahoma. And the next, I'm having real conversations about love, loss, career pivot, and becoming someone I didn't even know I could be. Because this joke isn't just about Broadway. It's about the moments that change you, the risks you take, the dreams you almost talk yourself out of, the strength you don't realize you have until life asks you to use it. If you've ever felt like you're in between chapters or stepping into something new, you're not alone. You're just getting started. This is the Salicia Show, where Broadway meets culture and your real life becomes the main event. Welcome! Or welcome back to another episode of The Salicia Show. I'm your host, Salisha Thomas, and I am so happy to be back here with you. The baby is out of my body. He is happy and healthy. His name is Ajax. Ajax Anthony Weiss, and he's changed me in Andrew's life. I love him. And I love you. Thank you for being here with me today. I'm here recording at Gotham Production Studios in Manhattan, uh, Midtown in New York City. And um, thank you, Gotham. Also, thank you to my editor, Carla, and my co-producer Tinya. Thank you to you guys for tuning in. So, okay, well, actually, before we actually dive in, I just want to like comment on this weave that I have. This is from Heat Free Hair. This is not sponsored. Um, these are just my actual thoughts. I wanted a Barbie ponytail, and I want I tried to get the one that the model was wearing on the website, and they said 18 inches extra thick. And so I got it, but it's too much hair. I do like it. I think I like it in the camera, but I don't like it like just for like an everyday. It's too thick for everyday, but I do like it, and it's an interesting problem to have. Like, oh, you put too much good hair in my wig. So I guess that's a good problem, but like I'm gonna have to pay Bobby pins to like help me redo it so that it's less hair, or I can just buy another one. But anyway, heat free hair if you want to do a little collaboration. Let's go. Okay, so today's episode is about when the universe tests you. Have you ever said something like, oh yeah, I'm gonna make a change. I'm gonna make a change. And then immediately you are brought with a choice of do the change that you just said that you proc like that you just proclaimed, or do the same thing that you've always done. And now you're here, you're at the precipice, and either you can go road A or road B. Either you can make a change or stay the same, but you just said you're gonna make a change. And have you ever been there? Because I have, and I've been there a lot. And when that moment comes, the old way is the easy way. It feels so much more convenient and it feels way safer. This has happened in my life in many different ways. Like, oh, uh I'm gonna, I'm gonna get ripped. I'm gonna change my eating habits and my work. I'm gonna work out every day. I'm not gonna eat all that crap. And then somebody's like, oh, it's my birthday, have some cake, and you're like, oh. Or you're like the next day's a holiday. You're like, oh, I'll start later. You're making the same old choices. Okay. Here's another way this shows up, at least in my life. I'm like, yeah, I'm not taking those roles anymore. Does this sound familiar to my actors out there? Oh yeah, I'm done. I'm done understudying. I'm not swinging anymore. I'm not gonna do any, no, no standby, nothing. And then here comes this incredible opportunity on a silver platter, and it's yours if you want it. The only caveat is it's exactly what you just said you didn't want. So what happens? What is happening when the universe tests you? You have made a proclamation, you have just put out there what it is that you want, and then it comes up to you and says, Is this truly what you want? Let me just double check. And if you choose the old path, and they say, Oh, you're not ready, we'll wait. But something magical happens when you're put to the test and you stick to your guns. Do any of you guys know what I'm talking about? When you say you're gonna do something, or you say you're not gonna do something, or you say you're done with such and such, you're tested, and then you actually follow through with that decision, something magical happens. I'm in the middle of one right now. I can't fully explain it because I'm not all the way through it, but I will give you like a taste of where I'm at today in this moment. A show that I always wanted to come to Broadway is finally coming to Broadway. I'm like, woo, woo, woo, woo. But the last show that I did kicked me in the butt. I was like, ooh, I need a break from performing. I need a break from Broadway. Yeah, I need a break. The only show that could get me to come back to New York City and perform is this particular show. Well, I was nine months pregnant when they were holding auditions.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

I'm like, ugh, you guys, what? That is so rude. That is so disrespectful. You know I'm not ready. What the heck? God, why would you send this to Broadway and you know I'm not ready?

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Ugh, I was real mad. The role that I wanted needed a waistline. I just wasn't ready. Plus, even if I was ready, they weren't considering anybody for the role. They had already cast their person. Time passes, and there is a cast. The person who they had already cast is not in that role. I'm like, hey, to my agents, what the heck? I thought you said they weren't seeing anybody. They went with somebody else. I'm like, ugh, I wasn't even considered. They said, well, they would consider you for this other role. I said, no, I don't want that role. I know what you might be thinking. Beggars can't be choosers, but we're not there anymore. I have decided, I have decided that I'm the main character of my life. I've decided what roles I want and what roles I don't want. I don't care what my past has said. I don't care what my resume says. I know what I want today, okay? And now the pandemic taught me something very valuable. I can live without Broadway. I did not used to be able to say that. I didn't used to feel that way. It was like, I don't care if they offer me the crumbs. My answer is yes. But stepping away from it from a couple of years taught me, oh, I can do some other things and pay my bills and be fulfilled and have more time and more energy to start a family, to hang out with my friends, to vacation out of the country. There's another world out there. Huh, cool. So now when I look at Broadway, yes, it is still a privilege, an honor, and a dream come true when an offer is presented. But we're not taking every last thing. We're not taking every little thing that is dangled in front of us. We're not doing that anymore. We don't need to do that anymore, and we don't want to do that anymore. There are other parts of the industry where you can dangle crumbs in front of me, and I'll be like, whoo, thank you. I'll take those crumbs. But in my journey right now, that is not where we're at with an eight-show grind. They grinded me up, okay? And I needed a break. So they had a new person in the role. They were like, so they have a new person in the role. They said, Do you want this part over here? I said, no, I don't want that. And then more time passed, and I started to question myself, like, how bad do I want to be in the room? Maybe if I just get my foot in the door, maybe they will see that I'm really right for this role and yada, yada, yada. Which is hilarious because I had that mindset before in a different role, and that is not what happened. That is not what happened at all. So, what is God trying to teach me? Gonna do the same thing again? Mind you, that could actually work, but in my journey, I could feel in my soul it was not gonna work for me. So I did say it out loud to my agents, and I was like, well, what's the cover situation? And he was so excited. He was like, Are you in, would you wanna, would you wanna understudy the role, the main role? And I was like, Well, I don't know. And I could hear the inner voice in the back of my head saying, You know you don't want to cover. You just said you don't want to. You just made a whole proclamation that you're done understudying, that you got your butt kicked at this show when you had to cover 12 roles, you're not doing it again. So why are you lying to him and to yourself? You know that if you got the role to be the understudy to cover, that you would be so upset. And that is not your zone of genius to go into a room not wanting to be there. That is not how you shine. Uh-uh. Like you shine, Salish, when you actually want to be in a room and you are filled with abundance and love. That is how you can pour into others. When you are depleted, it is really hard for you to pour into others. So you cannot say that you want this when you don't want it. That's my inner monologue. And I said to my agent, I was like, No. No, I do really want to be in the room, but I I don't I'm not moving my family 3,000 miles away and putting them through this crazy schedule for something that I don't really want. So no. Fine. It was off the table. I'm out of the running. And then things happened. And the role that I initially wanted is now available. And I just got submitted for it. So I don't know how this story ends. I can keep you updated. I don't know how the story ends, but it is worth noting that had I said begrudgingly that I was going that I was willing to take a role that I did not want to take for many reasons, had I said yes to that, I would still be on that track, even though the role that I actually want has just opened up. They would not be considering me for this because they need people to be willing to take these roles over here. So what happens when the universe tests you? Are you going to stick to your guns and say what you want, or are you going to compromise your desires? What would future you say if she or he or they could look at you while you're making the decision? What do you think that they would say to you? Like, girl, stick to your guns, or like I don't know, maybe you just visualize what that would look like on you. And will that influence your decision? And just maybe the next time that you are at the precipice of, I just said that I wanted this, and now I'm offered with a choice. Just think twice. What happens if you actually stick to your guns? And let me know how it goes. And I'll keep you updated too. And let's just wish each other luck and see what happens. Until next time, I'll see you next week at the Salicia Show.