Stop Trying So Hard to Make the Right Choice.

 I heard someone say something on a podcast recently that has been echoing around my head ever since:

“Stop trying so hard to make the right choice.”

It struck me because it feels so relevant to life in general, but especially to artists. And for us as actors, it couldn’t be more applicable.

So much of an actor’s life is spent searching for “the right.” The right interpretation. The right emotion. The right objective. The right way to deliver a line. The right audition. The right agent. The right career move.

We become convinced that somewhere out there is a correct answer, and if we can just think hard enough or prepare long enough, we’ll find it.

But acting doesn’t work that way.

Neither does life.

The best work doesn’t come from trying to be right. It comes from being present. From listening. From responding truthfully. From allowing yourself to be actually affected by what’s happening instead of trying to manufacture the “correct” performance. 

When you’re focused on making the right choice, you’re usually living in your head. You’re evaluating yourself while you’re working. You’re judging every instinct before you’ve even allowed yourself to experience it.

That’s the very thing that gets in the way. Our tendency to try to protect ourselves is disrupting freedom in the work and therefore leaving us short changed in our experience as a playful actor.

Some of the most exciting moments in class happen when an actor stops trying to control the outcome. They follow an impulse. They surprise themselves. They make a choice that wasn’t planned. Sometimes it works beautifully. Sometimes it falls flat. 

Both are valuable.

Because the goal isn’t to be right.

The goal is to be alive.

That idea extends far beyond the studio environment. How often do we freeze because we’re terrified of making the wrong decision? We wait for certainty before we act. We convince ourselves that if we can just figure out the perfect path, everything else will fall into place.

But certainty is rarely available.

Growth asks us to choose anyway.

To trust ourselves enough to move forward without knowing exactly where it will lead.

As artists, our job isn’t to prove that we always know the answer. Our job is to stay curious enough to keep asking questions. 

So the next time you’re working on a scene, walking into an audition, or facing a decision in your own life, remember this:

Stop trying to get it right. Stop trying so hard to make the right choice.

You might discover that the most truthful, interesting, and authentic moments arrive only after you’ve stopped trying to force them. It requires courage, but I believe each of us is capable.

Keep up the great work 

Mark :)