Have you ever made a mistake?
How does it make you feel?
The word alone makes the pit of my stomach churn due to the perfectionist qualities that I am attempting to let go of.
For me, for a long time I wanted to always have things be perfect and when they did not go according to the plan, I felt like a let myself and other people down. I think for myself I did not want to let other people down and this fear dictated many of my actions.
As an actor, I have fallen on stage, missed entrances, forgotten lines, and as a person there could be a list a mile long. And then there are several great mishaps in the audition room...... Sound familiar? However, these occurrences onstage and off stage have guided me to new places and new people, and made me aware to be awake in the moment that is currently in front of me.
What if our mistakes are meant to happen? What if these are the things that remind us of certain things that we may be neglecting or take us to a new place that is exactly where we need to be at the moment in time?!
I think for me it about re-evaluating how you look at a mistake and take that opportunity to learn something new and appreciate why it happened.
Going back to your mistake? Did you learn anything from your mistakes in the past? What did you learn and have you taken different actions because of your mistake?
As an actor, we learn a lot by doing. However, observation is also a great tool. Looking at your own mistakes and being able to grow as both a person and an actor can be extremely useful.
Look at your mistakes today and embrace them because they will guide you to a golden opportunity tomorrow.
McGee
