Once In A Lifetime? Not Always...

So what do you do when you've got that big audition? That HUGE role you're going in for that you just KNOW you're perfect for?

Do you psych yourself up and rehearse like a mad man/woman?

Do you tell yourself that you're just going to do your best and not worry about it?

or

Do you spend a week before the audition wondering how you'll mess up?

I think it's in these times that we are challenged to rely on our training and experience up to this very point. I truly believe that nothing is put in front of us that we cannot handle and that we are not prepared for in some way. Although opportunities will always pop up that will shock/surprise you, I think that it's our reaction to these moments that is the truest test of character.

I recently had a pilot callback for producers for an ABC series. I loved the writing, I just KNEW I was perfect for the role. In the room, I found myself doing something I had never done in rehearsal. My body language was weird, my voice sounded alien to me and I almost felt like I wasn't there. What IS that? I'm usually very confident in rooms and I know I did ample prep before going in.

I have come to realize that I think I put too much pressure on myself to "show" them what I had and how perfect I was instead of just BEING that. Often times, people over perform (in auditions, on dates, in job interviews, at work, on the bus, etc.) to win people over when it's better to just be yourself.

Lesson learned for me. Next time the big one comes, I'll be ready.