All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players, They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts.
I guess Shakespeare was onto something when he wrote those immortal words so many, many years ago.
Most of us have, I presume, sat spellbound in a theater, caught up in the splendor of magnificently written lines delivered by well-rehearsed, passionate actors in a way that transfers reality right into our laps.
It is said that great actors, by the process of complete immersion, do not just assume the persona of the role they are playing, they are the role they’re playing.
In other words, so well-trained, practiced and rehearsed are they, and so dedicated to the fulfillment of their duties, that for those moments they are on stage they are, in thought, action and feeling, the very character they are portraying.
And one of the secrets of their ability to do so lies in the famous words (reputedly) uttered by the iconic classical pianist Arthur Rubenstein.
Apparently, he was approached in the street near Carnegie Hall in New York by a man who asked, “Pardon me sir, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?” to which he replied, “Practice, practice, practice!”.
Back to Shakespeare. I think he was really onto something when he first wrote those powerful opening lines of Jacques’s speech in his play “As you like it.”
Those lines represent a wonderful metaphor that we can all use to bring about massive, radical and permanent change in our lives.
For so many of us, our lives are governed by the endless repetition of negative thoughts and self-criticism that play over and over again in our minds.
And as we think, so we act.
And we constantly sabotage our own happiness by repeatedly doing things that validate those critical thoughts we have about who we are and what we are capable of doing or not doing.
How have we become so good, so skilled at self-sabotage?
Practice, practice, practice.
Our world is but a stage and we have spent years rehearsing our lines over and over and over again and stepping into the role required to bring those lines to life. Each time we repeat those lines we do so with the passion that only can come from truly owning the roles we are playing.
Each day is a rehearsal for tomorrow’s grand opening and many of us spend that rehearsal time practicing lines that read “I can’t …” or “I never will…” Or I’m not good enough” or some other words that are part of a litany of language drawn from the script that we not only wrote, but produced and in which we now, daily, play the lead role.
Each of us is the playwright, producer and lead actor in our own drama.
And if the play we are presently starring in has us delivering lines of self-devastation then it is time to lower the curtain for the final time, turn the theatre dark and prominently place a large sign on the outside that reads “Closed due to critical reviews.”
Then go to work.
Grab your quill and write a whole new script.
Fill the script with loving, empowering, inspiring lines that are filled with energizing, electrifying passion.
Write the story of the life of your dreams.
Appoint yourself as director and immediately hire yourself to star in this new hit.
Begin rehearsing immediately.
Rehearse for hours every day.
Practice, practice, practice.
Master the delivery of your lines so that you are the character you are playing.
And place a huge new sign in front of the theatre.
“Opening Today
My New Life
Starring Me
A blockbuster.”
Till we read again.
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