BPS 037: The Toxic Screenwriter Mindset and How You Can Change It

Alex Ferrari 0:00
Welcome to the bulletproof screenplay podcast episode number 37. To have results that very few people have, you have to start doing things that very few people do. Anonymous. Broadcasting from a dark windowless room in Hollywood when we really should be working on that next draft. It's the bulletproof screenplay podcast showing you the craft and business of screenwriting, while teaching you how to make your screenplay bulletproof. And here's your host, Alex Ferrari. Welcome to another episode of The Bulletproof screenplay podcast. I am your humble host, Alex Ferrari. Now today's show is sponsored by bulletproof script coverage. Now, unlike other script coverage services, bulletproof script coverage actually focuses on the kind of project you are and the goals of the project you are. So we actually break it down by three categories micro budget, indie film market and studio film. There's no reason to get coverage from a reader that used to reading tentpole movies when your movies gonna be done for $100,000 and we wanted to focus on that at bulletproof script coverage. Our readers have worked with Marvel Studios CAA, WM E, NBC, HBO, Disney, Scott free Warner Brothers, the blacklist and many many more. So if you need your screenplay or TV script covered by professional readers, head on over to cover my screenplay.com and today's show is also sponsored by indie film hustle TV, the world's first streaming service dedicated to filmmakers, screenwriters, and content creators. If you want access to filmmaking documentaries feature films about filmmaking, interviews with some of the top screenwriters and filmmakers in Hollywood, as well as educational online courses all in one place. ifH. TV is for you. Just head over to indie film hustle.tv. Now guys, today, I want to talk about mindset, and the power of what you believe you can or cannot do. I've been getting a lot of reactions from the last few episodes that I've done, starting with all filmmakers are marketers, and how bad do you want it? Now, if you've been listening to me for a while, you know that I do these kinds of podcasts every once in a blue moon. I didn't do these as often. But nowadays, I don't know guys, I'm just inspired to do so. So I want to put this out into the tribe. And I hope it does some good. So let's talk about your mindset. Let's talk about what you believe now. What you believe is what you will achieve. And that I can promise you, I'm going to tell you a little story about something that happened to me. I don't know if many of you know or not. But I've always struggled with my weight. I have been struggling with my weight. For years, I'm talking about probably 40 years, I've been I've gone up and down with my weight been very thin been extremely heavy, you know, 5060 pounds, difference in every time I do it. And I've tried every diet, everything, every thing, everything I could possibly do to lose weight, and to gain muscle and to do everything I can read books, took courses everything, and never ever seemed to change no matter what I did. And recently, I decided to change my mindset to change what I believe I could do with my own body. Because you know, as you get older, especially us guys listening out there girls listening out there who are in their 40s You know, you're like, Oh, I'm not 22 anymore, I'm never gonna have I'm never going to be in good shape. I you know, I

but those days are gone. I'm you know, it's my body's just too old. I have injuries and blah, blah, blah, all sorts of excuses come up, right? Well, I decided to change my belief system, my mindset of what I could do with my body. And I haven't mentioned this before, because I generally don't like to talk about this, because it's just really it doesn't it's not applicable to what we talk about here on any film, hustle, but I think it is today. Because what I decided to do is I changed my mind to say you know what, I am capable of losing weight and I'm going to do it in the right way. I'm going to do it healthy. And I'm going to do it as slow or as fast as needs to be done. And you don't look at the 60 pounds that I want to try to lose. I'm going to look at the first pound, then the second and then the third. And I'm proud to say that I've lost over 30 pounds and almost 10% body fat within three months. I changed my habits. I changed my routine completely and it has changed my life dramatically. And I want to use this story to illustrate what you guys listening to this are capable of the mind it is one of the most powerful things in the universe. Billions of dollars have tried to replicate what the mind can do. And they haven't yet to achieve this thing they might one day, but not just yet. And by changing my belief system, in my mind truly wholeheartedly by just changing my belief system, and then changing the habit of believing myself to be able to lose a pound at a time, two pounds at a time, a pound a week, now was my goal, pound a week, then I would lose two or three pounds, I'm like, great, my goal is still pound a week. And I would just keep going. till finally I started gaining momentum. And by changing those habits, changing my routines, I was able to start achieving things that I had never been able to achieve with, with my body. Now I've gotten to the place where I'm in probably better shape than I've ever been in my life. And it took three months. It didn't take a lot of time. But I dedicated myself every day waking up at four 430 in the morning, to go work out eating, well changing my diet, changing my habits, and it's paid off. That's what it was so amazing to me that I was able to do this. So quickly. By just changing my mindset. If you change those mile markers in your mind, those beliefs, those kind of boxes that your mind puts on you, and I'll talk about why it does that in a minute. But you can change those those those mile markers, and move them just a little bit forward. Every day. Magical miraculous things will happen in your life. I'm living proof of it. Now, I'm gonna talk about like, let's say for example, income, a lot of us have beliefs of what we can make, financially every year, whether that be $10,000 $100,000, or a million dollars, it doesn't matter the number, but you have that kind of number in your head. And that's your mindset, that's your mile marker, that's the box that you've put yourself in. And then you once you're in that box, and by the way, this box or this mile marker could be for your entire life. I know you know these people, these people who believe that they will never get farther than where they are right now in their life. Because this is their belief system and your brain will do everything in its power to keep you in that belief system.

But once you're in that box, then you start behaving in the way you need to and feel the way you need to feel to make that kind of money every year. After a while the programming becomes hard wired in your brain. So if you believe that you're only going to make $10,000 a year, you're probably going to get a job that's going to support that belief. And you're going to just scrape on by and not actually achieve what you want to achieve. Because that's the way your mind thinks that's the way your mind thinks it is all that's capable of doing. So you will dress the part you will hang out with the people that are around this same belief because you need support for that belief. That's what people always say, and I did a whole episode about it is that you are the sum total of the people that you're around? Why is it that some of the greatest most successful people in history all say you need to find people who are doing what you're doing at a higher level and hang out with them. Because when you do that you're reprogramming yourself, you're reprogramming your mind to believe that you're capable of doing it because now you see examples. Now you see what they're doing. And all of a sudden the programming starts to change. You need to reprogram your mindset for whatever you're trying to do in life. Whether that be writing that screenplay, becoming a professional writer, becoming a professional filmmaker, going into television, acting, I'm using all the stuff for film business, but it works in any thing you're trying to do in life, that could be relationships, romantic relationships, relationships with other people, kind of job offers, you're getting kind of businesses you can build. You need to reprogram that mindset. If on a conscious level, you begin to believe in these thoughts, these new ideas, these new thoughts that are better for you that are going to get you to your goal to your dream, they will begin to go to your subconscious and then they will start to reprogram you little by little, but you got to keep those ideas coming you got to believe and the easiest way to do that is surround yourself with people. start educating yourself, start listening to books, start reading books, start taking courses, start watching things ingesting consuming content that will move you towards that direction and I promise you, your subconscious will begin to reprogram itself because it's a new mindset. You have to treat your mind like a computer. There is hard wired programming operating systems that you need to update Every once in a while, but most people go through their life, not reprogramming themselves angry, bitter, because they don't understand their own computer, they don't understand their own programming. Once I changed my mindset, my belief system, my mile markers in my brain, I was able to break through walls that have been with me throughout my life. It was just just miraculous. I mean, I can't tell you how my life has changed so dramatically. By doing this. And everything I go through, I try to share with you guys because I want to help you through my journey, and share everything I'm learning along the way. Understand that we follow through on what we believe we are, that is the programming of our mind. If you understand that, that little negative voice in your head, that little critic that we all have. And when that voice says you aren't good enough, that dream that you want, that's never gonna happen. Things like that don't happen to you. You're you are who you are, you're the best that you can be in just be happy with that. When he says these kinds of things, that little voice is there to try to keep you in the current state to protect the beliefs you already have in place. It is a defense mechanism by the brain. It does not like change, it doesn't want change. It is something that we as humans have brought back with us throughout our evolution when we were still in caves.

It is something that saved us before but now is something that is hurting us. We don't need it anymore. We need to understand the mind the brain and have it work for us and not have it hinder us or stop us from what we are trying to achieve. Whether in the film business or in life. Changing this mindset, changing your belief in what you can do, will change your life and career. I promise you, I am living proof. If you believe that you can't, then you won't. If you believe that you can make that movie, or write that script, or learn that new skill or get to that goal. Then you will you see the brain will have you eat the same foods every day dressed the same way hang out with the same people do the same things you do day in and day out to maintain that image you have of yourself because it's safe. Your brain is trying to protect you it wants to keep you there. It doesn't want you from it doesn't want you to get hurt Lifetime's are wasted because of this faulty programming in your mind. You need to reprogram yourself to change that mindset. Now I know a lot of you saying But Alex, how about fear? I'm afraid I'm afraid of doing that of making that movie of putting myself out there? Well, let's take an example for a minute. How do firefighters run into a burning buildings every day around the world? They have this insane amount of adrenaline pumping through them. Everything in their body is telling them no. Why would you run into a burning building? You're gonna die. But yet, every day, millions of firefighters around the world do it? Are they all fearless? Are they all Superman or Superwoman? No know, they all have that same fear. They all are afraid. The difference is that they have learned to identify that feeling or that fear. And understand that is a normal thing. No normal human being sane human being is going to run into a building that's on fire and not feel fear. When I started this podcast, I was afraid when I launched indie film hustle, I was afraid when I made my first feature film publicly, I was afraid. But just like all those examples, firefighters rely on the skills, knowledge and preparation they have done to deal with the danger that they're running into, to deal with the circumstances that they're running into. They understand the fear in a safe way, and they go in and do their job. And that's how you need to look at whatever you're trying to achieve. You're trying to lose weight. It is a job you do it. You go in every day. I don't want to hear about fear. I don't want to hear about pain. You just do it. You run a write a script, you set yourself up new habits. You write a page a day, every day. Don't stop. You want to make a movie, do things every day, small, incremental steps that move you forward. If I would have looked at 60 pounds that I want to lose. At the beginning of my journey, I would have never done it, I would have never done it. But because I focused on small, incremental goals, I was able to achieve a larger goal. Same thing happen with this as Meg. Okay, my first feature film, it took me I was 41, when I made my first feature film, when I was more than capable of making my first feature film 15 years earlier, easily, I could have done it, I had the skill, experience, talent to do it. Let's stop me, I did. I created a monster of this. This this first feature film, I created so much out of it, that I held myself down. And I just was petrified to move. But something finally happened that made me change my mindset, change my beliefs and what I was capable of doing. And was I afraid, oh, my God was i i was scared to death. And I just said, I'm not going to do this anymore. I can't, and I moved forward. And I did it every day. I did it very quickly. But I did it every day, and I got the movie made. And all and you know, you guys know the rest of what happened with that. You have to learn to identify the mindset of fear in your life, you have to understand that it's normal. And that feeling is there to protect you, your mind your brain is trying to protect you. It is terrifying for change, it doesn't want to change, it's happy where it is. Because it's again, going back to that programming we had when we were, you know, in the caves.

I'm going to give you some techniques to help you get through the fear. Okay, anytime you're afraid in life, and it's worked for me really, really well. When you're afraid, you're fearful, you're stressed, you're angry. Anytime that happens in your life. Take to stop for a second, close your eyes and take six to eight deep breaths. This is not fufu stuff, just try it. This will deactivate the stress response center in your brain, then you will be able to think through the problem. Clearly. When you activate the stress center of the of your brain, the blood rushes to the area of your brain that is responsible for fear for stress for anger, adrenaline, all that kind of stuff. To get you out of whatever situation you're in, it is just trying to protect you. It is the programming, and it's fantastic programming for survival. In life, when you're out in the caves, when you're out, you know not when you're trying to make a movie, not when you're trying to write a script, not when you're trying to have a relationship or get to a goal or a dream. It's very horrible at that point. But if you know, if you have a lion chasing you, it's a pretty good, pretty good program to have. When you want to take on a new goal in life, you have to take it one step at a time. Because if you take these small increments, it will not activate the stress fear response in your brain. That's what was happening to me with my first feature film every time I thought about it. My brain just went into overdrive, like you know, you can't do that. No, you got to stay right where you are. Because I was thinking of this monster thing. And now if I just didn't same thing with my weight, I would think about all the weight I would have to lose. And then I wouldn't move. Or I would do something kind of half assed just kind of I don't know. And that's what would happen. If you look at the end game at the end goal, whether that be the screenplay, whether that be the big movie, whether that'd be losing 60 pounds, or getting that job or whatever it is. Your brain will activate the fear response and keep you where you are physically and mentally in life. Your mind creates the standards that you live up to you, by your beliefs create the standards that you live up to. If your standard is to write one screenplay, work on one screenplay, let's say right, let's say you're working on one screenplay for three years, and then you complain, Oh my No one's giving you a chance or Hollywood is such a bastard place and it's everything so hard, then that's what you're going to be. That's what you will live up to. I promise you because I've lived it. So many years of my life I wasted because of that crap. Habits are a tool to change this. They are the biggest, most powerful tool you have on this journey, creating good habits and releasing bad ones. I changed my mind I changed my habits so so effortlessly after I decided to believe differently. I never work that come I'm waking up at four o'clock in the morning to go work out. Who does this? I do? Because that's what I believe I need Do that's what I want to do to get to where I want to be. And once you do it what the first first four or five, six weeks rough. But now, my body wakes up at four o'clock in the morning without even the alarm clock. Why? Because it's a new habit, because my mind has been programmed to love it to want it. I read two, three books a week, I never used to do that. But now it's a habit. I can't be anywhere without having a book playing in the background or podcast, or something, or watching a video on YouTube or taking a course online. These are the habits I've changed, and it's changed my life. And I want that same change to happen in your lives. Because the power of belief, the power of mindset, it is that powerful. I promise you. Desire is not enough. Wanting it bad is not enough. You need to change your mind, your mindset, your belief system, your mile markers in your brain, what you're capable or not capable of doing. You need to change those things. And once you start changing, and I'm not until not telling you to change them all at once, or make big huge leaps. Little by little, I believe that I can get up in the morning at four o'clock every day, and go work out like a beast and get into the best shape of my life. I am in better shape now than I was when I was in my 20s.

Why? Because I believe that I can. And I'm proving it. Other things in my life are changing, because I believe that they can change. I believe that I can create a streaming service for filmmakers. And create a Netflix no one's done. No one's doing this. No one's ever done it. But I believe that could do it. And I believe that it can create more value for my tribe. And I did. I never written a book before. But I believed that I could. And because I believed I could. And I started taking small incremental goals, which were 1000 words a day was my goal. Sometimes I hit it. Sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I exceeded it. But every day I worked on it one way or another. And within months, I was able to have a rough draft done. Not years, but months, I had never written a book in my life. And look what happened just because I believed that I could do it. Why? Because I did small incremental steps because I changed my beliefs. Don't let anyone friends, family, acquaintances, teachers, whoever it is, tell you what you are dreaming about for yourself or for your family is not possible. Because I'm here to tell you it is possible. And the power for that dream lies within you. The door to success swings inward, not outward, that power lives within you, and no one else to have the results that very few people have. You have to start doing things that very few people do. Let me repeat that to have results that very few people have, you have to start doing things that very few people do. There's a reason I used that quote at the beginning of this episode, because it's so true. It's actually scary how true that statement is. And I want to say one other thing before I let you guys go today. These are beliefs that I have about everyone who's listening about everyone in the indie film hustle tribe. And I want you to think about these beliefs. And see if we can start reprogramming you right now. All the members of the ifH tribe are doers, not talkers. They have strong minds. They are aware of what's going on now. And they will create systems to help them get to where they want to go. They will write down their goals. And most importantly, they will all hustle. I hope this episode helps you guys out a lot. I've got a few books, I'll recommend in the show notes at Indie film hustle.com, forward slash BPS 037 that will help you on your path, if you will. Again, now that I'm reading all these books, I'm sharing I want to share with you guys so parcher I put more and more of these out for you guys, and probably create a couple more top 10 lists for you guys to check out. But I really do believe what I'm saying here guys, and I really hope that this helps you on your path. It really is all about your mindset. It really is about your belief in what you Can cannot do. So believe and you will achieve whatever you want. Thanks for listening guys. And don't forget that my book shooting for the mob is out for pre order on Amazon just head over to indie film hustle.com forward slash m OB just indie film hustle.com forward slash mob. And it'll take you right to the Amazon link, please preorder. And if you read the book, if you're part of my launch team, please on February 22, go and leave a review on Amazon. The more reviews I get, the higher we can get ranked and we can get that book out to as many people again as possible in the world so I we really, really appreciate that guys. So as always, keep on writing, no matter what. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks for listening to the bulletproof screenplay podcast at bulletproof screenplay.com That's B u ll e t e r o f s CR e n PLA y.com