Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us the most.
_A Return to Love_ by Marianne Williamson
This powerful quote has been the driving force in my work as an artist. As soon as I read it, a flood of discoveries came my way.
I realized that if I was to succeed beyond my wildest dreams, personally and professionally, I had to adopt a new way of thinking, a new measure of positive thought.
“Miracles are a shift in perception.”
How easy to comprehend, but how difficult to manifest if that concept is not part of your ‘now’ reality.
I had to really sit and digest this new way of thinking to realize that change comes from me.
It took time.
We artists have only one thing to draw upon, and that is our own life experience. Of course we have to study technique, but we also have to study the great spiritual leaders. We need to find a way into our hearts and souls, and then bring our findings to our artistic craft.
Once we make that small but paramount shift, we start to realize that no choice is wrong if it’s pure, and it comes from us.
The next step is to bring that shift into an audition hall, a classroom, a dais when making a speech, or just walking onto a stage to utter a single word.
One learns to be powerful
One learns that if a choice is true and authentic, then the ones on the receiving end of your newfound strength will accept most anything you give.
As a young actor I was so afraid to walk into an audition hall. “Will they like me?” “Will I fit the part?” “What are they looking for?”
But with this new way of thinking, the power is yours to hold on to, and not to give away.
You trust in the gifts that are yours and only yours, and then you can walk into the room, plant your feet, and say “Here I am. Use me as you will, for what stands before you is an artist who is pure of intent, who is powerful beyond measure, and will embrace what is put before him.”
A lot of times I was rejected. I didn’t get the role.
But that was okay. I didn’t sacrifice my intent. I gave my truth, knowing that the path I was on would lead to something that the universe would have waiting for me.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Well, that sounds so easy”, it’s not. It’s a one-day-at-a-time practice. It’s a belief system that comes with quiet reflection, solitude, gratitude, and love.
Don’t walk in fear.
Walk toward the light, because that path will lead to your personal greatness.
We’d love to hear from you! Please send us your suggestions for future articles. And if you’re a writer, please see our writer’s submissions page for details.
