Tag: goldfish

A few friends of mine are going through auditions. It is a scary time in any performers life. Imagine going up in front of a group of people you don’t know and showing them your skill, hoping for a yes. All the personality someone who knows you is off the table, it becomes a cold process for someone to judge you and you alone. Imagine a performance review from that boss you hate, and then multiply it by 10.

Whenever I audition I try to keep myself in the best mental shape . I try to get good sleep, I try to eat well, lay off the alcohol, and meditate as much as I can.  I find myself doing the same with any review, interview, or consultation. I review the notes that I have and get as best prepared as I can. I try to accept whatever comes.

Those small changes help when you hear the “no” (there is no avoiding “no”).  Some of the preparation can help you during the review, but eventually you will end up in a place that is hard to enjoy(rejection). When it happens to me, I generally wince, lick my wounds, and try to recover from that gut punch the right “no” can give you.

There are ways to help yourself after hearing that “no”.Having a group of friends will help the “no”. Changing your mindset can help the “no”. But, what sometimes gets lost is that “no” is an opportunity to learn more about yourself, toughen your resolve, and become better. There are two mindsets that help you grow.

• Goldfish – Write down all of your problems and mistakes on a notebook you carry with you (I enjoy using a  wallet sized moleskin or one of those 5 star notebooks. They are small enough to fit in your pocket). Then work on forgetting what just happened. Set up another audition or nerve-racking event immediately (don’t do it immediately, but put in on the schedule). Go find something you like to do, call those friends, watch your favorite movie and put that pain behind you.
• Elephant – After a few weeks, pick up that notebook.  GO through those problems you saw and start to develop ways to improve. The key here is to take any ounce of self sabotage out, try not to beat yourself up. Everyone makes mistakes, this is the reason you overcome and defeat them.

The elephant and goldfish method are ways to create a better relationship with failure and systematize for improvement.