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Santiago Gonzalez

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Being ready for making mistakes. Improving from failure.

Which is the best attitude to face mistakes? Should they be avoided at all cost?.How can we get rid of the fear of failure without falling in foolishness?

Topics: education happiness kids creativity learning mistakes
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    Monty Hall

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    Nov 8 2011: As an actor and improviser, the worst thing I could possibly do on stage would be to give in to my fear of failure. One of the first things I learned in my acting training was to let go of any fear or doubt that I held about myself because if I retained that fear, it would repress my imagination and inhibit my ability to totally connect with any character I portrayed. This concept has translated into my every day life. I no longer hold back or shy away from opportunity because I have learned to let go of my fear of failure, and as a result, my life has become infinitely more interesting and exciting. As you postulate, though, there comes a risk of acting foolishly when you learn to abolish this trepidation. I believe the key to letting go of fear while not becoming reckless is to know yourself and your limitations, and to not infringe too drastically upon them. At the same time, the whole point of letting go of fear is to push and test your own limitations, so you can't let yourself fall into the pattern of "Oh, I know I can't do this, therefore I won't try." As with many things in this world, you need to find a balance--in this case between risk-taking and responsibility.

    I recommend that anyone who truly wants to learn to let go of their fear of failure in a responsible manner take some sort of acting course or seminar. Acting has affected my life in a very positive manner, and I think anyone can learn and utilize the skills I have learned through training, even if they don't plan on going into theatre.

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