Embrace Your Inner Contestant

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re a performer. Standing before a massive crowd. The only thing the crowd wants is to watch you in your element. They want to experience you delighting in your moment. It doesn’t have to be the most epic performance of your life, it just has to be you doing something you intrinsically enjoy.

If you can identify one thing that fits this criteria, it’s time to jump on that stage and let it rip. If you decide later that the venue isn’t working for you, you can always leave and find another stage.

The point isn’t to find the best stage right now. The point is to perform.

When you perform, you learn and you progress.

After  you’ve discovered your inner contestant — that natural interest that you’ve decided to pursue– you may find that now there is a slew of seemingly new obstacles, more questions, and even less answers.

That’s because you’re on a journey.

You can look at the stage floor and see the imprints of previous feet; other people’s shoes that have gone before you. Some followers are waiting in the wings to take their turn after you’re done. But for now, you’re the one in the spotlight.

So go for it. Have your Susan Boyle moment. Better yet, have your moment. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s also the fastest way to deny your own uniqueness and originality.

If you’re not willing to do this, to go for it, to at least start performing as a way to discover your inner contestant, may I ask why? What’s stopping you? What is holding you back? Why aren’t you willing to at least start trying to put yourself out there?

I say this because I myself have regrets.

I regret that I never allowed myself to become fully immersed in whatever scene was taking place in my life until it was too late. Instead, I played it safe, didn’t take risks, and failed to trust.

I didn’t try out for roles/jobs that I didn’t think I had a chance of getting, solos/challenges/opportunities I wasn’t sure I could nail, or friends/guys/co-stars I wasn’t confident would like me in return.

And you know what? I actually do regret not going for those things (well, except for some of the guys) more than I regret the times I actually failed.

I know it sounds weird, but I almost wish I had more failure stories to tell.

Imagine yourself as a young Kelly Clarkson during the moment when the judges said, “You can win this whole competition.” That’s when you know that your choice to try allowed someone else to speak destiny into your life. Nothing compares to that.

So please just go after something. Anything. Try making paella for the first time, or cheesecake, if that pan that magically pops open is anywhere near as intimidating to you as it is to me. Ask someone to lunch or coffee, and declare that it’s just because you want to get to know them better. (But only if it really is.) Read a book you’ve always wanted to say that you’ve read. Tell the truth. Ask a question. Give generously to someone who is in need. Do the right thing.

Remind yourself that people are watching. Your choices matter because they are yours, and also because they influence others. We watch to see how you handle gossip or alcohol as a way to determine our own limits. We wonder where your gifts will take you, and we’re secretly rooting for you. Take your decisions seriously, because they are. And don’t forget to give yourself a standing ovation when you ace it.

If you’re shuddering at that notion because you view congratulating yourself as narcissistic, or egotistical, or self-centered, get over it. You cannot afford to be unimpressive any longer.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

Show us what you’ve got. Step onstage.