Hi @ArtistDoug - Don’t despair! - The first couple are always the hardest to get accepted for, after that, once you have a couple of great reviews under your belt then it gets much easier.
The best/quickest way to do this is to apply for some local, shorter sits - you can see how much ‘competition’ you have as it tells you on each listing how many applications they already have. As a start go for the listings that show 0-3 . As you gain a reputation with your growing list of reviews then you can be a bit more picky and will stand a better chance when applying for sits that are long distance and/or already have multiple applications.
Your application is important, have a look at this thread for some good tips on what to include.
Good luck!