I spent a lot of time early on in my career, and in fact, in my life, saying 'yes' to any and all opportunities presented. Sometimes this came in handy.

"Can you work my shift?" turned into dollars in my pocket.
"Would you like to try this new (and potentially gross) food item?" led to a broadened horizon, in any case.

Other times it proved to be a monkey on my back.
"Hey Nicole, are you interested in doing this show about blah, blah, blah with so and so for free?"

Dang it.

After several years of this feeling that saying no to any opportunity was a slap in the face to those who didn't get an offer, that taking one shitty show would absolutely lead to something better in the future, that I would certainly start to enjoy it...at some point...I realized I was burned out.

Then recently, my husband quit a job he had been bitterly unhappy doing for years. I wondered, why did he stay so long? And why did I carry on in a manner that was so obviously not working for me?

I needed a way to check in with myself. A sure and verifiable system of discerning from the outset whether I would find happiness in a new venture or at least, set myself up to find it.

So this is what I came up with.

The 3 P's.

I want to offer these to you and to myself as a way to guide ourselves through decision making as we look for satisfaction in our careers.

1. Project
Is the project interesting or challenging to me and does it make me excited to pursue it?

This to me seems like a no-brainer, but it is most often where I get tripped up. You have to have that passion for the project from the outset, otherwise you most likely will not be carried through long enough to see success and fulfillment. In day-job terms, will you like the day-to-day duties of this job? Because frankly, lofty company mission statements are great, but if you're the toilet-scrubber, you should enjoy scrubbing toilets. In the theater world, you love the show, but do you like the role?

2. People
Do you like the people you will be working with?

I was in a small movie project a few years ago where a friend solicited me to act in a movie. I was really eager to work with this fellow so I said yes straight away and when time came to show up on the set, he was nowhere to be found. Turned out, he was merely gathering people to work together and the folks he had assembled I was not interested in working with. At all.

So, will you enjoy the hours you spend with the people you are working with? This to me is very simple, if you can find out who those people are before accepting the opportunity.

And sometimes People can make up for lack of passion for the project. For a while anyway...

3. Pay
Is the method and extent to which you are compensated for your time and effort worth it?

This will be widely different for each individual, especially in the theater, as many are willing to work for free. My personal philosophy is, if I am missing paid work to be there, I must be compensated reasonably well. If I'm not missing work, well that's negotiable. But it would have to be my garbage can show (the show I would do in a garbage can) for me to work totally uncompensated anymore.

It's not arrogance, it's the fact of the matter. I can't afford it. I've got plans...

So, friends, this is it. I will keep you abreast of how this works for me.

Project, People, Pay.