That really says it all. In life and in our acting — the goal is to be fully expressed. We rarely allow ourselves to do this on a moment-to-moment basis because we become prisoners of our own minds criticizing us, judging us, telling us what is appropriate and keeping us playing safe. So we end up making choices that are bland. Forgettable. Protected. Obvious. Common.
There’s nothing memorable about being safe. Life is not only inherently risky but it also evokes risk within us. It makes us want to take leaps. It makes us want to step into the unknown. It makes us want to throw caution to the wind.
But if you listen to the left-brain’s logic of why you shouldn’t do something or why something isn’t a good idea or all the “bad” things that might happen if you decide to take the risk, you end up doing nothing.
Start being okay with making huge blunders. Failing big. Falling flat on your face. Getting uncomfortable. The more you do this, the more the creative world will open up to you and you’ll begin stepping into new domains of possibility that previously weren’t available to you.
Homework: Let your choices be hugely creative or dramatically terrible. Just don’t let them be boring. I’m not asking you to do something crazy just to be crazy and get someone to notice you. What I’m talking about here is making authentic, bold, daring choices that are true to the moment and that you normally repress or shy away from because you let fear keep you from taking those risks.
“Let’s make a dent in the universe.” — Steve Jobs