How to take a kick? How to take a fall? This has been the emphasis in my Capoeira class this past month.
Instructor Jujuba devoted nearly an entire class to conditioning ourselves to getting kicked. She explained that fear of a blow can really hinder a person in the game, and when that blow comes, the shock is much more intense if you’re not used to the impact. Your body freaks out in a life-or-death kind of way instead of processing it simply as a no-big-deal bump and moving on.
And moving on is key. Unlike some other forms of martial arts, in Capoeira, the game doesn’t end when you take a fall. In fact, that is where it really begins. That is where the opportunity for transformation happens.
Her words really struck a chord. As they marinated in my head, I came to the realization that I’ve been operating from a place of avoiding kicks and falls. That’s been holding me back. That’s been preventing my transformation.
Reflecting back on my career, I was achieving the biggest results when I was putting myself in the way of “kicks” and taking “blows.” I made the dangerous move of delivering unsolicited audition tapes. I was met with a number of negative reactions. I was also met with auditions for a guest-star on a network TV show, a guest-star on a huge TV pilot, and a co-star audition in American Reunion (American Pie franchise).
This was a challenging period because the truth is those negative experiences did feel very life-or-death. But each time became a little less painful, and sometimes the sting itself wasn’t as bad as the anticipation of the sting. Life is very yin and yang. I had to take all the times I got knocked down to garner those exciting opportunities that also came my way.
As I re-strategize my career path to put myself back in the line of fire opportunity, I am reminded of a short blog by Simon Sinek that is particularly relevant entitled Are You Willing to Strike Out:
“In 1923, Babe Ruth broke the record for most home runs in a season. That same year, he also broke the record for highest batting average.
There is a third record he broke that year that most people don’t know about. In 1923, Babe Ruth struck out more times than any other player in Major League Baseball.
Babe Ruth was not afraid to strike out. And it was this fearlessness that contributed to his remarkable career. He was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season, a record he held for 34 years until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1962. He also held the lifetime total home run record of 714 for 39 years until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974.
He held other records too. He had 1,330 career strike outs- a record he held for 29 years until it was broken by none other than the great Mickey Mantle.
Most people want to hit home runs, the problem is they are afraid to fail in order to get there. As Babe Ruth proved, you can’t have one without the other. It’s perfectly fine to be a good, solid player who doesn’t go down swinging that often… but it also means you won’t hit that many home runs. Those players are needed on a team- they are the consistent and reliable players.
However…
If you want to swing for the fences, you have to be willing to strikeout.”
Don’t get me wrong. I hate failing. I hate falling. And I don’t much like getting kicked either. But clearly a mindset shift around “failure” is in order. We must invite these experiences because they are a necessary ingredient to success. Every “yes” comes sandwiched in a slew of “no’s”. To make a great film we must make some shitty films. To meet that perfect someone you got to kiss a few frogs. So we must accept the strikeouts, because, as Babe Ruth famously said, “every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
Have you been conditioning yourself for the falls in life? Where have you been holding back for fear of getting kicked? Are you willing to risk striking out in order to hit one out of the park? It’s time to step up to the plate.