Blog
09
Dec
The One Word You Need to Forget in 2016
by
Lyn Koenning
on December 9, 2015
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comments
If I told you that you could dramatically improve your artistic success in 2016 by forgetting just one word, would you want to know the word?
I thought so. Okay, here it is:
The word is…
TRY
Think about it: If the word “try” is in our vocabulary, then we’re basically giving ourselves a pass anytime what we’re doing doesn’t work out as we hoped. If we don’t accomplish things the way we imagined them — for whatever reason — we can always say, “Well, I tried.” I mean, who could fault us for that, right? After all, we tried.
But there is a definite distinction between trying and doing, especially in the performing arts. And I think if you approach the various aspects of your craft — training, discipline, study, professionalism, auditioning, performing — by saying, “I’ll at least try,” then you’ve already set a limit on how much you can achieve.
So in 2016, let’s stop trying, especially when it comes to following our passion for musical theatre. Let’s stop giving ourselves a built-in excuse for not reaching our full potential, and, like Yoda says, let’s either do it or don’t do it.
Here are three steps to help you escape the “trying” trap:
- Eliminate the word “try” from your vocabulary. The only thing it accomplishes is to give you an excuse for not fully engaging.
If you catch yourself about to say, “I should try to practice more,” replace that with “I’ll make the time to practice more.” Or change “I’ll try to get more rest during the audition season,” to “I’ll make getting enough rest a priority during my audition season.”
When you challenge yourself to fully and completely pursue your art, then even when you fall short of perfection, you can still feel good knowing the results are far better than if you had said, “I’ll try.”
- Start working toward your goals. Just stating your priorities doesn’t make them happen. If you want to achieve more, you have to actually start doing things with purpose.
Even in the face of uncertainty, fear, a packed schedule, and when you’re not sure you have what it takes, you’ve got to be willing to put a stake in the ground and say, “This is what I’m going to do.”
So cultivate a laser focus on your ideal outcome and clear out the distractions that are keeping you from doing (not trying!) the things that will help you make clear progress toward your goals.
- Apply 100% effort to the outcome you want.
As 2016 approaches, it’s natural for us to be excited and also a little bit nervous about what the new year has in store. But we can be ready for it if we make the decision now to stop trying, start doing, and go “Full Out!”
What practices can you begin doing instead of just trying? Share your ideas in the comments below or on the AuditionCutPro Facebook page and use the hashtag #fullout2016!
