Home Staging: Set Your Own Standards
Since I primarily write to women, let me address an issue most of us seem to fall prey to: comparing ourselves to other women.This week my daughter auditioned for Beyonce's all-women's band she is purported to be gathering to tour this fall during the release of her new CD.
My daughter plays bass.
Knowing she would be competing with women all over the country who have far more extensive experience than she, it was quite natural that she was apprehensive. She asked me earlier in the day if I thought it was worth her while to go audition, or whether she should forget it.
I told her to just "go have fun, do the best you can and gain the experience of auditioning. No matter what happens, you will benefit from the experience."
Many times throughout the day and while waiting her turn she wanted to run away. She had only had one day to learn the song and pull together a "groove" of her own in the key of E.
She had one choice: run away and let fear conquer or stay and do her best.
I'm happy to report she stayed, went through the whole process, played way better than she thought she would play, experienced a "break through" according to her coach, and received a round of applause from the other musicians in the hall when she left the audition room!
It was a highlight of her life that she will never forget.
Had she succumbed to her fears, she would have missed out on a phenomenal opportunity to experience growth and the unmeasurable pleasure of a job well done. Instead of becoming a quitter, she became a winner, whether she landed the gig or not.
Competition should be viewed as a way to maintain excellence and a way to keep yourself performing up to YOUR own standards - not the standards of others.
posted by Barbara Jennings @ 6:06 AM
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