If you were nominated for an award in that film of your life (as it is now), what would it be for? Best leading man, best leading lady? Best supporting actor or actress? Best writer, best producer, best original soundtrack?

Hats off to those who can honestly claim to be up for the best leading man or lady award!

My experience has shown me that many of us are playing parts that we don't want to play, in a film that doesn't represent who we are. Far too many people are settling for roles that don't suit them and don't fulfil them; at work and in other areas of life. Lots of people get stuck in a pattern of playing supporting roles in other peoples' films, rather than being the lead role in their own film. Many slog away in a film that somebody else wrote for them, which is being directed and produced by somebody else. Some are living in a film with no writer, producer or director at all.

Imagine that for a moment. Going to watch a film which nobody wrote, it just kind of happened. A film that nobody directed or produced. In which everybody played the wrong parts and nobody took the lead or shined out as the star. You'd ask for your money back, I'd imagine!

Of course, in life that's not an option. Nobody gives us our money back when we find ourselves 5 years in the future and very disappointed with the film we're in.

I work with lots of people in this position. People who have known for quite some time that they're in the wrong film and have somehow been too embroiled in the story to do anything about it. How do I help them? Well, of course, it's different for everybody, but the main theme is to help them re-write the script. That can be a slight re-write or a big overhaul. It can mean researching and soul-searching until they find a compelling plot. It almost certainly means re-casting themselves as the lead role and, while we're at it, who else would you want to write, direct and produce your own film than you? After all, it's you who lives it each day.

Think about your life now as a film. What does it need? A small re-write? A big one? A new twist? A more vibrant cast? A new message? A different pace? A great location? Are you writing it, directing it, producing it and starring in it? I wonder what would be different if you did.

For those of you who love exercises, here's a fun one! Grab your journal or a notepad and write a freeflow of thoughts with the following as a guide:

Put yourself into the mindset of a filmmaker. Imagine you have this fabulous person who you want to cast as the lead in your new film (that's you, by the way!) and everything else is down to you to decide. Think about all the talents, strengths and motivations of your lead character. Think about what's important to them. Think about the environments her or she would flourish in. What kind of role would you write for them?

What would his or her dreams be? If the film were to follow the next 2, 5, 10 years of their life what would you have them do and achieve in that time. Where would you set it? What would the cast be like? Who would support the lead character? If there were going to be obstacles in their path, how would you have them overcome these? What would the journey be like? What would be the lows and the highs? What would you need to write in, in order for the lead character to be fulfilled and happy?