As an actor/actress (or any kind of artist) you have to have some set of morals & ethics to help you define the type of roles you pursue or pass up as well as the overall direction of your career. Every individual has their own unique set as what's important to me may not be important to you and vice-versa. Well, I've recently read "An Actor's Code of Ethics" which is a chapter of the highly recommended book "The Business of Acting." While I didn't include everything that was listed in the book, I did select the ones that apply to me.

So without further ado, here is my personal credo of 10 proclamations that I hope will help my focus, my drive and my attitude along the path of my career :

*I will begin my journey with energy, enthusiasm and healthy motivation and will temper my journey with patience, fortitude and self-reliance.

*I will follow my heart, follow my business plan and learn something new about myself and this business every step of the way.

*I recognize that no fellow actor has the ability to take away from me any opportunity that is meant to be mine. We will each get what is ours to get.

*I will not doubt my ability, but I also recognize that my ability, like my potential, will grow only if I nurture it in a healthy environment.

*I will not sell out.

*I will not lose my true sense of self in the perception that others may have of me.

*I will value my family and real friends more than any professional opportunity, for I can be driven and motivated without becoming distant and removed from those I care most about.

*I recognize that there is a difference between what I am given and what I earn.

*I will give back to my community, my family and my friends in ways that say that I value what I have gotten from them.

*If any day on my journey ever seems to be too great a struggle or delivers too great an accolade, I will remember, simply, that tomorrow is another day.