Alice thought to herself "I don't see how he can ever finish, if he doesn't begin."

Last night I had the pleasure of going to see Avengers: Age of Ultron early with a friend of mine and one of the Executive Producers gave a little speech before the movie began.  Her speech was humorous but also very inspiring.  She told us all to not only follow our dreams but always do what we're passionate about.  Because if you're passionate about something and you're not doing it, then a part of you is dying.  She went on to say that too many people use excuses why they can't do what they're passionate about right now and how they will one day...

For me, if I'm not creating, I'm lost.  If I don't have a script to dive into and a character to fill then I'm nothing.  The main reason I'm making my own web series and films is because it's so hard to be seen and to get a foot in the door out here.  That and I'm very impatient, I've said that before.  So instead of waiting and working hard to get that role that will make all the difference, I'm working smarter and giving myself the projects that will make me thrive!  

Don't get me wrong, this is not a brag fest.  It hit me hard when she said last night that people make excuses and talk about how "one day" they'll make it.  But these same people are doing nothing to make their dreams happen!  I see these people everywhere!  One day I'll be famous, one day I'll be rich, one day I'll get out of debt, one day I'll be skinny...but what are these people doing TODAY to change anything?  Most of them nothing.  And it's frustrating when you know that they deserve better and really want them to live up to their full potential. 

So I love this quote because you can never finish if you don't begin.  And I will no longer say that "one day I'll make it" hoping that something will come along because I am making those things come along.  And I WILL make it.  So if this blog can do anything for you today, I really hope it inspires you to make a choice to stop procrastinating when it comes to your passions and dreams.  Change doesn't happen overnight but it also doesn't happen without a first step.  So whatever it is that you're putting off or waiting for some miracle to bring to you, start it now!  Go begin writing that script, start putting money into a savings account, go walk for an hour, do anything you can but start it now.  No one else is going to make your dreams happen for you and you won't get there if you don't start now.

The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is action.

Love you!
Kimberly 

You would have to be half mad to dream me up.

I sometimes wonder if what goes on in my head is anything near what goes on in others' heads.  I've noticed that I am motivated and happiest when I am faced with a challenge.  I think sometimes I even find ways to make simple things challenging so I can have more fun with them.

If you had asked me two years ago what I'd be doing this Summer, I can promise you that producing a film would not have been my response!  My impatience and desire to control my career have finally collided and it's brilliant!  I can tell you that it's going to be difficult but so exciting!  My newest challenge with the film might be biting off more than I can chew but I'm ready for it.  It's funny because people see me as a strong, capable person which I definitely am, but those closest to me know that I have different personalities when faced with a challenge.  I let it tear me down before I even face it.  It's like I have to get all of the possibility of failure out of my system before I decide to succeed and charge through at full force.  I'm a bit of an enigma and sometimes I fascinate myself.  It might make me a little delusional but why be hindered by the idea of failure?  It's not an option if you want to succeed.  

Oh, did I mention I'm also an over sharer?  Obviously.  I am the most open book you will ever meet!  I just don't keep things to myself.  There's way too much going on and progressing in my mind to keep anything inside.  I'm sure there's some mystery to me somewhere but I feel better when people know everything about me.  Unless I don't know you then you get nothing from me.  Ha!  I might need to work on that but oh well!  

God was a little crazy when He made me but I'm so thankful He made me the way I am.  I can't imagine being anyone else and I'm so grateful.  I love my life and can't wait to really be something that others can be motivate by.  I can promise you that everything happening right now is just the beginning.  My best quality is my persistence.  I will never quit chasing the white rabbit. 

"It's Better to be Feared than Loved."

Sometimes I really wish I could live by this quote.  I really do.  There's a lesson that everyone has to learn in life and it takes longer for some than others.  I'd like to think that being a good person and helping others will earn you respect but the truth is, some people will never respect you.  Some people will never like you and never treat you the way you deserve to be treated, no matter what you do.  The trick is to not let it affect you or your happiness.

When it's all said and done, you are in control of your happiness.  The world is going to keep turning and people are going to react to you based on what's going on inside their own heads.  Keep doing the things that make you happy and being the person you know you're supposed to be.  Some people will love and support you no matter what you do, others will belittle you out of their own jealousy.  So why should that bother you?  Because it's human nature.  We want everyone to love and respect us but it'll only kill us if that's what our happiness is based on.

This has always been a big problem for me.  But the nice thing is, I'm aware of it!  YEAH!  That's always the first step, recognizing the problem.  So I'm focusing on shaking off all of the hate and the jealousy that comes at me.  Because it's trying to keep me down and I can't let it!  I'm on the path to much bigger things and I'm not stopping.  So if there's anything I can say to you today to help you or inspire you to live a better life and be a happier person, it's to never let anyone else bring you down!

Keep your head up.  Let them fear you because of your ambition and drive.  Who knows, one day they just might love you for it!

Love, 
Kimberly 

It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.

There's a funny thing that happens when you're an actress or an actor where you get a role that enables you to so completely lose yourself that you begin to really wonder who you are anymore.  Things and thoughts that once made sense to you in reality begin to be foreign.  Nothing in your real life makes sense anymore because that's not your life; your life has changed to the life of the character.

Yes, for us characters have lives.  They are not just words on a page but living, breathing people that make choices, have jobs, relationships, problems of their own.  And if we're lucky and we work hard enough, we are blessed with a role that allows us to escape our own reality and live the reality of someone else.  Even if just for a brief moment, it is invigorating.  It is what keeps me going.  To know that I can live hundreds of different lives or even just experience life through the eyes of someone else, how cool is that?!  I'll tell you it really makes you grateful for the life that you are blessed to lead.

I know I am a different breed of person.  I am passionate about my dreams.  I am persistent and dedicated to my goals.  This is what I was born to do.  I know it's not for everyone but I am thankful for everyone that is supportive of me.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live a standard life.  I hesitate to use the word normal because what is normal?  Everyone has a different definition.  I think I'm normal but I'm definitely not average!  

Anywho, my mind is racing and my thoughts are getting jumbled.  I guess this quote really does fit today then because right now, nothing really makes sense to me!  But I know amazing things are happening so thank you for your support and keeping me moving forward!  And sorry again that my Kickstarter has kept me away.  Until it ends I think my blogs will only be every other week so thanks for still reading them!

And of course, if you haven't pledged yet, go to beachwooddrivefilm.com and make a pledge to my film Beachwood Drive!  Those roles that we can't wait to play and get to lose ourselves in if we're lucky...mine is in this film!  So please pledge support now so we can hit our goal and I can keep doing what I was born to do!  And yes I said PLEDGE!  Until we hit our goal, no money is taken and nothing comes to us.  So if you do support me and my career, pledge now.  And thank you in advance for being in my life!

Love,

Kimberly Westbrook  

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.

Well this week has been surprising to say the least.  I have to apologize for my absence last week but we had a TON of planning for our Kickstarter launch.  It's funny though because it's only been a week and I really do feel like I'm falling down a rabbit hole of craziness!  

It's brilliant!  In a week we've passed $9,000 which is almost 20% of our goal.  Idk if you've ever run a Crowdfunding campaign but it is a lot of work!  It's exciting, scary and somewhat fun but every day is a new adventure.  A lot of people are very supportive but a lot of people just stop talking to you.

I can't let it bother me though because this is what I have to do.  I have to make films.  Hollywood is a hard world to break into unless you have perseverance and determination.  And even then you have to come up with crazy projects and jump through a million hoops to keep them and make them happen.

So I'm jumping through the hoops and getting a film made.  If I haven't said enough, thank you for your continued support.  I know a lot of you are watching this campaign to see what happens.  I hope and pray that you'll support me in my endeavors like you always have.  This world is a crazy one and I'm past the point of getting out.  The truth is, I don't want out.  I belong in front of the camera.  So thank you for helping me make it happen!  In case you haven't looked into the campaign, the link is beachwooddrivefilm.com  You know the drill by now, click it and support with your pledge.  And bless you for having faith in me and my career :)

Love and blessings to you,
Kimberly Westbrook

It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.

I honestly have no idea how this quote has eluded me for so long but I love it!  On top of that it seems to fit right into my theme lately of being imaginative, breaking out of the norm and trying new things!

I love this quote so much because it really can be looked at from two very different, very valid points of view.  On the one hand, it speaks to never learning from our past.  The mistakes that we make in the past should always influence our future unless we want to make them again!

The way I want to look at this however, is for its call to change your future from what your past is holding you to!  Our memory works backwards because we can't make memories from something we have yet to experience.  But our memories are there to guide us into a brighter future, aren't they?  You can't change the past by dwelling on it.  You can't change the good or the bad things that have happened so why do it?

Because if our memories worked forwards for us instead of backwards...then they can't hold us back from what's to come!  Too many times we let opportunities pass us by because of our memories.  We don't take that grand adventure or go down that uncharted path because of the memories from the last time we tried.  But each new adventure is different.  And if we're smart, we learn from it and embrace the memories for what they are, products of that past.  They're not there to keep us from moving forward to a better tomorrow!  They're there to remind us of the lessons we already learned and guide us to be successful the next time!

I love this book the more I blog from it.  It inspires me to be so much more imaginative and adventurous than I ever could have imagined possible.  I'm finally thinking outside the box and looking forward to an exciting future.  I hope you've enjoyed it so far and I look forward to bringing you more entertainment!

...so many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.

Some of my favorite blog entries are the ones I don't even know I'm going to write until I find a new Alice quote.  And this one once again jumped off the page!

Can you imagine the things that we could achieve if we had no doubt?  If we gave no mind to anything being impossible, what could we truly do?  I love the way my mind is changing.  I can't tell you how thrilling it is to instead of facing new decisions with why something won't work, instead thinking how we can make it work!  

I am on such a high from this weekend.  I got to experience another amazing message at Mosaic and spend time with some amazing women for brunch!  God is doing so much and changing so much in my life that I just can't keep it all in!  I want to share this newness in me with the world!  Everything really is possible with God and if you're waiting around for Him to make things happen, look at your decisions and your life and see if you are not ignoring the signs and the paths He has placed for you to get there!

I'm telling you, last year I got tired of waiting.  I got tired of wishing something would change and waiting for someone to come along and make my dreams happen.  God made me a very capable, strong woman.  For some reason it has taken me until now to realize that.  He has given me everything I need to create the life I want, I just chose not to see it.  I implore you today, this wonderful Monday, to start making whatever you are waiting for happen now!  You were created with the ability to be great, amazing, unstoppable!  So why are you stopping yourself?  Why have I always stopped myself from doing everything I could ever imagine?  Because of the idea of the " impossible."  

Well, from now on, nothing is impossible.  So GO!  

Love and blessings, 
Kimberly