I think I’ve met my greatest obstacle: Hesitation. It’s that irritating speed bump on the road that makes you hit the brakes just as you begin to accelerate.
I’ve continued keeping things in high gear with my Capoeira training at 1.5-2 hours a day, 5 days a week. I’ve drilled new sequences over and over. Yet, when it comes to applying them in the game, I will literally stop in the middle of successfully carrying out a move because I’ll question whether I’m successfully carrying out the move. How ridiculous is that! Hesitation pops up its nasty little head disrupting my flow!
We can’t figure out why it’s happening or exactly how to get rid of it, but at least we’ve figured out the source of what’s been making my journey so bumpy.
As I continue learning from Instructor Potira, who has essentially become my Capoeira mentor, she’s pointed out that a large part of her success has come from confidence. She’s shorter than most Capoeira players and some may be stronger than she is, but she always makes it a point to come into games with full confidence of what she has to offer, and that confidence enables her to apply the kind of pressure on her opponents that makes for challenging and exciting games.
So really, it’s not only about what you have and don’t have. It’s largely about your relationship to what you do have, and how you express that.
I’ve actually seen this play out in relationship situations too. The girl who feels most comfortable in her skin will be the most alluring and attractive in the room. I’ve seen it and believe it 100%.
This is one of those lessons and revelations that really struck a cord with me because it pertains to the core of what hinders me in most areas of my life.
I recently started an Entrepreneurial course to be both an Actor & Entrepreneur. I came up with a business idea, got great feedback, started moving forward, and then abruptly came to a halt because I questioned if it is, indeed, a great idea. A few conversations later I re-gain clarity that it is, in fact, worth pursuing and begin moving forward…again…only to (surprise, surprise) stumble on some more doubts and circle back to mulling it over… again! And the cycle goes on.
Hesitation. Hesitation. HESITATION.
When I reflect on my acting work too, the most resounding note is that I have great instincts, I just need to trust them.
Luckily I’m getting the feedback that I’ve got the goods, I just keep doubting.
WHY!?!?!?!?
So I’ve set my sights on the goal of confidence.
“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”- Joe Namath
I wish I could tie this blog up with some kind of ribbon on how to acquire confidence, that elusive magnetic quality that seems intrinsic to success, but I’m still on the journey myself. All I know for sure is that in the business of show we’re constantly being made to feel we’re not good enough. We need to take more classes. We need to get more credits. We need to change our look. We need better headshots. We need stronger representation. The list goes on and on… and maybe that’s part of what causes our hesitation bumps in the road.
But we gotta smooth out those bumps somehow so we can move full speed ahead!
How do you cultivate confidence? What is the biggest internal obstacle you face in pursuing your goals? How do you manage it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
*photo courtesy of Dollar Photo Club