Tell Yourself a New Story

24 Jun

IMG_1630A couple months ago I had the pleasure of hearing Shelly Gillyard (Senior VP of talent at Nickelodeon) speak about that pesky little guy, fear. Of course fear is something we battle with constantly as actors– fear of not getting the job, fear we are not good enough, fear that success will never happen, and on and on. But perhaps we battle that demon because it’s the only story we’ve been telling ourselves. At some point in our life, we failed at something we really wanted, or our parents told us we’d never make it– something however seemingly small or insignificant was the beginning of that story we have been telling ourselves ever since: fear. Shelly brought up a great point– why not tell ourselves a new story? It’s just a story after all. It’s not the truth. I do not have to take fear on and internalize it only to fight it constantly as I navigate this crazy career. And we all know how powerful language is– we’re actors after all– so why not use that power for good? Why not tell ourselves a new story of success and happiness and worth and positivity?