The Monster under the Bed
#SCARED STIFF
Fear, this is something that holds the majority of us back. More often than not we also don't even realise we are being held back by fear. Jim Carrey said in a speech of his a few years back that 'so many choose our path in fear, disguised as practicality'. When you sit down and think about it, what have been the reasons you have not done something you really wanted. Break it down and be really critical on yourself as you will most likely see that the reasons you never took a chance on something would be due to a fear of some kind. We're often afraid of looking silly or what people might think about us, or what we would think of ourselves, mostly however I feel we are afraid of failure. There are quite a few different avenues we take when trying to hide our fears. Delaying something we should have already done, why do we delay it if it isn't due to a fear? What is it that stops you right this instant from booking that new headshot, getting that showreel done, emailing new agents, applying for auditions or even writing your own film? Nothing at all, there is no reason you can't do that now yet we always put it off just in case we fail. Another thing lots of us do is give ourselves a back up plan, however not only does this accept the fact failure is an option you have actually given yourself permission that it was ok to fail from the very beginning. These are all just strategies to avoid our fears. Just like a child, if we sleep with the light on then the monster that lives under our bed will never come to get us.
#TURN OFF THE LIGHT
The first step to tackling fear is to realise what it actually is. We spend so much energy giving the concept of fear a power over us that it doesn't actually deserve. Children are afraid that a monster lives under their bed until that first night they manage to sleep with the lights off and they wake up the next morning exactly how they went to bed the night prior. Yes there is that possibility that the monster wont strike that first night and will wait until the little child least expects it to strike but as time goes on and the child grows older he or she realises there is nothing under their beds at all so the fear dissipates. Now you might sit there and say 'well of course they wouldn't be afraid of that it was never real to begin with, I really could fail at my dreams'. Fair enough, you could fail at them, but what difference would that make? If you are to afraid to even take a chance then haven't you technically already failed? You might not actually have felt the failure first hand but through the act of hiding you never actually had a chance to begin with. That silly saying 'you got to be in it to win it' is right on point here. If you have a dream, one would think that you would love that to become reality. That can never happen if you aren't even willing to try, so start by turning off that light one night. I can promise you'll wake up the next morning better for it.
#REPROCUSSION
Yes fear is something that is there to keep us safe, fear can actually save our lives but sometimes it just stops us from taking a chance. Your life is not in danger if you have dreams of making it in the film industry. But being safe is also comfortable, and we all know it's never the best thing to stay in your comfort zone, a place that has minimal growth. Yeah it's scary to take a chance and jump, but if you don't nothing will change and if you do what is the worse that could happen? You will be back where you are right at this minute, the only difference is you will know realise that taking a chance on your passion isn't actually as scary as you thought it might be. That monster under the bed that we thought would humiliate us, actually was never there to begin with, we can sleep with the light off and know that tomorrow we will wake up still here and also far happier for taking control of your own destiny and making those dreams of yours become reality. When you think about it all there is no negative out come that you should actually be afraid of because where we are right at this moment know it wont actually get any worse. The only thing that could happen is heaven forbid, you actually do make it. That isn't such a scary thought now is it? I understand it's not something that can just change over night, so start small. We are all set in our ways and have habits and patterns that we would love to alter but it will take time. So for any reader that feels like they are being held back by a fear of failure, I challenge you to do one thing related to your career that you have put off. Book the headshots, get the reel finished, try a new acting class or audition workshop, apply for short films. What ever it is just put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone.
Now is your time, fear isn't something that should cripple you anymore. You wont ever need to sleep with the light on again as that monster that lives under your bed is nothing more than our mind playing tricks on us.