BPS 101: How to Make 2021 Your Year – Happy New Year!

Well, 2020 has been one hell of a year. Our industry has been
turned upside down and inside out. The way business is done in
Hollywood has been changed forever. There has been so much pain and
suffering this year. People lost their jobs.

Legendary companies that were thought to be unbreakable filed for
bankruptcy. The mear act of being on set became a highly
dangerous occupation. So many beloved filmmakers and actors passed
away. Film festivals closed their doors. Movie theaters giants shut
their doors, some for good. COVID-19 devasted not only our business
but the world.

2020 just f**king sucked!

With all that said I see a light of hope on the horizon. Like every
New Years before Jan 1 brings with it a new hope, an opportunity to
improve things, and for your life to be better than before. 2021
has a lot of pressure on it for sure. I know so many tribe members
have had a rough go of it but the only thing we can do is to take
charge of what you can control.

You might not be able to control the world, the virus, your
employer, or the economy. But you can control what you do on a
daily basis, how you act, how you think. You can think everything
sucks and there's no hope for you or your dreams or you can think
that you have the power to change where you are in life right
now.

Every dream, every success story started with one thought, I CAN DO
THIS. As Henery Ford once said

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing,
you're right."

The power of your own thoughts is so much more mighty than you
think. Trust me I speak from experience. Looking back on my life I
realized that in the roughest moments my thoughts were destructive
and when I was experiencing great successes my thoughts were
constructive. Whatever you focus on grows so if I were you I'd
focus on the positive and not the negative.

This year I came to a profound truth that the key to success is to
help others. The moment I launched Indie Film Hustle my life began
to change. The more I helped others the better my life became. The
opportunities I had been chasing for decades just started showing
up at my door. Don't get me wrong, as you know I hustled like crazy
but not on getting things for myself as much as providing value to
other people. As Les Brown said

“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve
yours.”

In 2021 make it a goal to help others with their dreams and I
promise you that things in your life will change, it did for me. In
2020 I released my second feature film On the Corner of Ego and
Desire, created BulletproofScreenwriting.tv, my premium online
education platform IFH Academy, launched the IFH Podcast
Network and multiple podcasts including The Filmmaking Motivation
Podcast, The Directors Series Podcast, Inside the Screenwriter's
Mind Podcast, and spoke to legendary filmmakers and screenwriters
on my shows like Oliver Stone, Barry Sonnenfeld, Alex Proyas, James
V. Hart, and John Badham just to name a few.

And most importantly I was inspired by you the Indie Film Hustle
and Bulletproof Screenwriting Tribes. Your stories of overcoming
obstacles, massive successes, and following your dreams moved me.
Getting emails and messages from around the world gave me hope that
yes we are in tough times but even with all that you, the tribe,
continues to move forward like an unstoppable creative force.

In 2021 we will try, fail, and try again
because remember...

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more
intelligently." - Henry Ford

The more you might fail the closer you are to succeeding. I'll be
trying a ton of new things in the new year and hope they will be a
success but am ready if they don't live up to my
expectations.

In 2021 I'll be launching a couple of new companies, partnering
with amazing new instructors for IFH Academy, releasing my new
book, adding amazing new content to Indie Film Hustle TV,
publishing new audiobooks through IFH Books, producing a few new
podcasts for the IFH Podcast Network, and developing new websites
to further help filmmakers and screenwriters follow their
dreams.

I want you to write down what you want to accomplish in 2021 and
what steps you will be taking every day to get those goals. Do you
want to set a goal of one or two screenplays a year as Oliver Stone
does? Do you want to direct your first feature film? What needed
tools do you want to put in your toolbox? What need skills do you
want to learn to make you a more dangerous and knowledgeable
filmmaker or screenwriter?



After speaking to hundreds of the industry's most successful
artists and business people I found they all had one thing in
common, they never gave up! They all just kept going no matter
what. Oliver Stone had the script for Platoon in his pocket for
years before someone produced it. James V. Hart was in his forties
when he had his breakout with Hook and Dracula. Barry Sonnenfeld
went from shooting adult films to having his movies gross almost
$2.5 billion worldwide.

Every successful person you look up to failed and failed often on
their way to success. They never gave up and you shouldn't either.
Every no is one step closer to a yes. I wish all of you an
amazing 2021 and don't forget to keep that hustle going and keep
that dream alive!

Be well, stay safe, and Happy New Year.

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