Hey guys.
It’s been another busy weekend/week for me. It seems like the closer I get to graduating the more demanding other aspects of my life are becoming. School is more pressing, my acting class is becoming more intense, and I’m starting to really sink my feet into the workforce. I think it’s safe to say that I have piled my plate with a lot of commitments and responsibilities, but they are commitments and responsibilities I’m willing to take on.
And at the end of the day I’m alive, I’m blessed, and I’m healthy. So, in all honesty, I have absolutely no reason to complain about anything. Even though I’m missing out on a lot of sleep.
But like everything in life, when you take on something new you just have to go with the flow of things until you sink into a routine. I have no doubt that I will eventually slip into a routine, it’s just a very tiring process. But again, a process worth going through.
Easter was on Sunday! I know I’m super-duper late, but hey I was busy with other matters in my life! How was Easter for you all? Did you have Easter dinner with your family? How about some fun egg hunts with the kiddos? I did neither because I was working on Easter, lol. My family had Easter dinner but it really wasn’t our traditional Easter dinner. It was a typical dinner served on Easter.
But I’m not complaining! I was blessed with the ability to be able to enjoy that very typical dinner on Easter Sunday. And as typical as it was it still was some good cooking.
Other than that, nothing special happened for me, which is ok. I’m not big on the holidays that aren’t considered big holidays anyway. I like that I was able to be productive and still have time to continue my day as a normal one. No over the top moments, no crowding my dining room with other family members. Just my typical dinner with my mom and grandma.
Monday night I completed an improv class that I was taking. It was a bittersweet moment because I have really grown to enjoy the class and actually looked forward to attending it every Monday night. I even grew to adore the people who also decided to participate in the 6-week class. But like most good things it had to come to an end. And I always knew it was coming. I guess I just never really prepared myself mentally and emotionally for the end of it.
Doesn’t that suck? When you know the end of something is in sight, and it’s a very necessary ending, but you just aren’t ready for it. So you put off having to think about what that ending could mean, all the possibilities it could bring simply because you can’t muster up the courage to allow yourself to move on. And the truth is in moments when we do this to ourselves we are robbing ourselves of the feeling of being complete.
But I also think it’s a very human and natural thing to want to run away from the fear of the unknown. But we have to open to it because every ending has a new beginning.
Anyways, Monday was my last day in this class. We put on our showcase that we had secretly been preparing for over the course of 6 weeks and man did some very interesting things happen.
For starters, I was super nervous and anxious. I don’t know why this happens to me but before every performance I become so nervous and anxious. And it’s not in a bad way, it’s always in a good way. And what I mean by this is that I know I’m going to be seen by others, and whatever I have to share with the world at that moment will either be taken in with appreciation and gratitude, or completely rejected. And you can’t predict the way the audience will react. You just have to give it your all and go with the flow.
Just “jump in” was the motto in this improv class.
And “jumping in” makes me nervous and anxious because I always want to perform to the best of my ability and to deliver a good presentation no matter what I’m doing.
But improv doesn’t work like that. Improv is all about letting that inner child out and just playing pretend while improving with your given circumstances. And that’s exactly what happened on stage. Allowing myself to be completely present and aware in that moment shook away all my nerves, until the very last moment.
I bet you’re wondering what happened aren’t you. Long story short, one of the games we played required dancing. But that’s not all, every minute or so the group would rotate people in a circle, so if you started out in the back you would eventually end up in the front, dancing in front of everyone. I don’t like to dance and I don’t like to be seen attempting to dance. But I was a team player and I did it anyways.
Was I embarrassed? Absolutely! Did I have fun? Yes. And that’s all improv is about. Having fun people!
But for the most part my performance, my ability to do improv, or even my very super lame comical skills did not matter. All that mattered was that I was having fun.
Which is such an odd thing to say but it’s the truth. The more fun I had, the more fun the audience had. Which naturally had an impact on how I interacted with the audience and my peers. And well, it was just a really fun and enjoyable night. I’m so glad I followed through on that commitment!
Over the course of these past 6 weeks we learned some very valuable life lessons. Who know improv could change lives!?!?! Before taking this class, I would have never known. After taking this class, I can see the very many ways in which it does.
So, I thought I’d share with you the five life lessons that I, and the whole class, were able to walk away with.
#1 Make the fun go up
When we spend less time in our heads and more time being present, we worry a lot less. We are constantly thinking about what others are thinking about us, trying to make our image as perfect as we possibly can. Sometimes we go out of our way just to be seen and heard by others. But why? Why isn’t being who we are unapologetically in our skins enough? Because society has taught us this. Society has taught us to be a kid when it matters most, but to always know that there will come a day when you need to grow up. And when that day comes, don’t fight it. Embrace it and move on with your life. Doing so causes us to miss out on a lot of moments, the big and little ones, which makes the fun go down. So, I encourage you all to really take a step back and just appreciate what’s right in front of you. It may be there today, but who knows if it’ll still be there tomorrow.
#2 Participate
Show up. Every Monday at the start of my acting class we do a little bit of yoga. During this time, my teacher likes to plant some words of wisdom and encouragement into our souls. One thing she says every time is “showing up is the hardest part”. And it’s so true. We show up because we either have to or we want to. Whatever the reasons may be, it’s a battle we choose to take on. And I realized that I show up for a lot of moments in my life, even when I honestly don’t want to. But I do it because there’s a reason for everything I do in life. And when I choose to be an active participant in my own life, I’m encouraging and inviting others to do the same. So yes, showing up is the hardest part, but it’s also the strongest moments of our days.
#3 Make your scene partner look good
Now I know most of you are probably thinking life isn’t a play. And you are correct…but I’m also going to say you are wrong. No life isn’t a play. We all personally experience our own trials and tribulations in life, we have our moments of victories and our moments of loss, and when something happens there is no do over. It just happens and forever is written in stone. But life is a play in the idea that everything we do is a reflection of those we surround ourselves with. These people are our scene partners. And we make them look good by doing two very simple things. One, never leaving them out to dry in the wind alone and two, by staying true to ourselves no matter how ridiculous we may look or be. Because when we feel good we look good, and when we look good we are more motivated to make our scene partners look good, which just makes for a happy life.
#4 Mistakes aren’t mistakes they’re opportunities
Probably the biggest life lesson I was able to walk away with. Mistakes aren’t mistakes. We spend way too much time trying to get it right. And I’m know I’m so guilty of this. It matters to me to please people, to see people happy, to be of use to others. It matters to me to not mess up, to have as little bad days and bad moments as possible. It matters to me to be able to always put my best foot forward. But the truth is, it just doesn’t matter. Life isn’t about pleasing others or always trying to get it right. It’s about taking advantage of the many opportunities presented to us. So, the next time you make a mistake don’t beat yourself up. Instead see it as an opportunity to take a different approach and produce a different outcome. Who knows, it may just be the opportunity you needed.
#5 Group Mind
Win together lose together, very simple. We go through life with our friends and families, we even have enemies we let stick around just to constantly compare our successes with theirs. Which is a really bad habit and a horrible thing to do! But I think in adolescence and young adulthood it’s important for us to feel accomplished at all times, and that sense of accomplishment can come from anyone and anywhere. But we grow out of this the older we get because we realize something, life isn’t a competition. We have to learn to carry with us the positive individuals that make up our lives. The ones who uplift us, makes us happy, and love and accept us for who we really are. Only then will we always win and accomplish anything we choose to take on in life. And that my friends, is group mind.
I know to some of you this may seem like a silly thing, and to most of you it may be a complete eye opener. Whatever the case may be the truth of the matter is these 5 core values have changed my life for the better. And even though in the beginning I was really hesitant about it, not sure if I was getting what I wanted out of the class and the experience, I’m glad that I stuck it out.
Because I honestly feel like I came out a much better person. I don’t feel like the same person that I was when I started it. I feel evolved, more confident, more comfortable, and prouder of who I am. Flaws, anxiety prone, emotionally overbearing, horrible comical skills and all! And like my acting teacher always says, that’s a beautiful thing.
Whether you find meaning in this or not just remember this. Life is too short to take for granted the many opportunities and blessings that are presented to us each and every day. No matter how big or small those opportunities or blessings may be, be grateful and thankful for them and do not take them for granted.
You never know what miracles may come of them.
-Xo
Kimora