Picking for Perfection
#PERFECTIONIST
Each and everyone of us has that little voice inside our heads, that keeps telling us we can do better, or we are not good enough. Whether it's that self tape we are trying to put down, that indie film audition we decide to skip, that new script we are writing, or that film we are editing, part of us never seems happy. That little fella manages to put doubt in our heads consistently while also heightening all of our insecurities. This voice has the power to cripple us before we have even begun. Yes we want to make sure our work is of a certain standard but there needs to come a time where we stop making excuses and put ourselves out there. We should stop searching for this imperfect word called perfection, and take a chance. How great can you be behind closed doors where no one can see how truly talented you could be?
#JUMP
Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith. Trust your gut and understand if you look at your work critically, taking a risk can only be a positive. For me to say 'jump' might not help in the slightest. So what if we decided to look at what it is that keeps us from taking a chance and backing ourselves. This need for perfection must come from somewhere. Personally I believe it comes from the perception of failure that is ingrained in us from the moment we set foot in this world. Failure has never been something to celebrate, but rather something we should be ashamed of. Despite hearing all those stories about countless successful people and how badly they failed before it all lined up for them. We need to embrace our failures and understand it's ok that our efforts aren't quite perfect. Our chosen craft is something that requires countless hours to maintain a certain standard let alone improve.
#RISK FOR REWARD
The first time you jump is always going to be scary, it's outside of our comfort zone. Lets weigh up the alternatives. You can sit back and do nothing, telling yourself it's not ready or it's not perfect. It will never be perfect, so nothing ever happens. It's safe, it's comfortable, we don't feel uneasy and we can continue to drift through life dreaming of being great one day... maybe. Now what if we take a chance? We put ourselves out there, what happens in this reality? Let's say we crash and burn. Whatever we release or perform is a complete train wreck. Yeah in that moment it would be very embarrassing, however being open to that embarrassment is the first step to growth. We need to accept that we aren't perfect and we are going to fail so allow yourself to be vulnerable. When we do the biggest thing we should note is that we are still in one piece. We haven't died or broken anything, a bruised ego heals very quickly. The embarrassment has passed and our close friends have hopefully given some constructive feedback. The next time we step out of our comfort zone we should have learnt from the time prior that it won't be as scary, and failure becomes something we strive for because without it we wont grow and get better.
What is it that holds you back and what strategies do you use to leave your comfort zone? #takeachance