Anthony Meindl's Actor WorkshopAnthony Meindl's Actor WorkshopAnthony Meindl's Actor WorkshopAnthony Meindl's Actor Workshop
  • About
    • Tony’s Acting Philosophy
    • About Anthony Meindl
    • Testimonials
    • Our Teachers
    • Books
      • At Left Brain Turn Right
      • BOOK THE F*CKING JOB!
      • Alphabet Soup for Grown-Ups
      • You Knew When You Were 2
      • Unstuck
    • Theater Rental
  • Classes
    • How Our Classes Work
    • Audit a Class
    • Acting Classes
    • Youth Acting Classes
    • Workshops
  • Locations
    • Los Angeles
    • New York
    • London
    • Vancouver
    • Sydney
    • Atlanta
    • Chicago
    • Cape Town
  • Blog & Podcast
    • Blog
    • Podcast
  • Audit
  • Contact

#5 – FAILURE IS AN OPTION. FEAR IS NOT.

    Home Fear and Failure #5 – FAILURE IS AN OPTION. FEAR IS NOT.
    NextPrevious

    #5 – FAILURE IS AN OPTION. FEAR IS NOT.

    By Anthony | Fear and Failure | 0 comment | 31 January, 2011 | 1

    James Cameron said that. And he should know. He made PIRANHA II. Absolute 1981 trash. But if he’d given up after such a dismal failure he would have never created AVATAR. Indeed, his future successes were born out of his early failures.

    Fail. That may seem counter to what we’ve all been taught, but only in failing do we ever achieve any sort of growth, understanding, insight, expansion. Within each failure is the seed for future success.

    If you look at your life, you will see that every success you’ve had has come from overcoming obstacles and disappointments, falling down and getting up again.

    The willingness to fail is the spirit behind every major accomplishment. Because doing things that matter involves great risk. Once you decide that trying something – which includes failing – is better than not trying at all, you begin to see that failure, itself, does not define you. It is actually a construct of the ego, used to keep us from attempting new things. The ego will do whatever it can to keep you looking good. And there’s nothing more crushing to our ego-selves than attempting something and having the experience not measure up to our expectations. But the ego is just one tiny part of who we are.

    The greater part of you – the seeker – the part that transcends the ego, desires adventure. It desires risk. It desires stepping into the unknown. It is not concerned at all with the outcome of things. Or how we look. Or keeping us safe. Or comfortable. Or defended. It just wants to create. Powerfully. Non-judgmentally. Fearlessly.

    Can you imagine how radically different your life might look if you started to live from that sense of freedom?

    Homework: This week – fail at something. Try something that’s hard. Do something in which you could get rejected. Attempt an experience that might humble you. Step beyond your comfort zone. You might notice that if you give up the attachment to the end results (and how you look) — that even if you don’t get what you desire — the act of attempting something is more fulfilling than the outcome anyway.

    Why? Because you tried.

    “The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss, but that we aim too low and hit the mark.” — Michelangelo

    acting, Avatar, failing, James Cameron, Michelangelo, success
    NextPrevious

    CLASSES AT AMAW

    • Tony’s Acting Philosophy
    • How Our Classes Work
    • Audit a Class
    • Youth Acting Classes
    • Workshops

    JOIN OUR MAILLIST

    Audit a Class

    Interested in seeing how we work? Come and attend one of our classes. There is no fee to attend the audit.

    • Audit A Class Today

    Tony’s Lessons

    Interested in what Tony has to say? Check out the entire library of Tony’s video lessons online.

    • CLICK HERE TO WATCH

    Get Social

    Listen Up

    • Audit
    • Online Classes
    • Blog
    • Press
    • Workshops
    • Rent a Studio
    • Contact
    • Code of Ethics
    Copyright © 2023 Anthony Meindl's Actor Worskshop. All Rights Reserved.
    • About
      • Tony’s Acting Philosophy
      • About Anthony Meindl
      • Testimonials
      • Our Teachers
      • Books
        • At Left Brain Turn Right
        • BOOK THE F*CKING JOB!
        • Alphabet Soup for Grown-Ups
        • You Knew When You Were 2
        • Unstuck
      • Theater Rental
    • Classes
      • How Our Classes Work
      • Audit a Class
      • Acting Classes
      • Youth Acting Classes
      • Workshops
    • Locations
      • Los Angeles
      • New York
      • London
      • Vancouver
      • Sydney
      • Atlanta
      • Chicago
      • Cape Town
    • Blog & Podcast
      • Blog
      • Podcast
    • Audit
    • Contact
    Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop