Not All Actors Have Unshakable Confidence. But Here Are Tips To Get It.

Just because you’re a performer, doesn’t mean you don’t get insecure. It’s actually pretty common for people to feel shy, introverted or even afraid of getting up in front of people and performing. But you’re great at it! So there’s got to be a way to hack that hold-back and get fully into the confident skin you’re ready to show the world. And there is!  We as The New York Acting School for Film and Television would love to share a few simple confidence increasing tips for every actor out there, so you can stop feeling held back by your racing mind and instead get in front of your audience and shine!

For starters, half the time, the things we worry about are simply the product of our imaginations running wild. So keep those fear thoughts in check by asking yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Imagine what the real worst case scenario could be and decide how you'd deal with it. Once you know what the worst case situation is, and it's solution, it's hard to come up with more excuses not to do it! We only have a certain amount of energy so let’s apply it to living well, bettering our careers and meeting our goals INSTEAD of wasting that energy worrying. Take action on what you have control over and minimize risks for what you don’t. Then invest your energy wisely.

You’ll go into the situation with all the worst case situations mapped out and prepared for. The funny thing here is that you find yourself so proud of all the ‘solutions’ you created for the problems you imagined - that when you don’t need to use them, you might even be disappointed! But thankfully, you’ll get over it quickly enough.

What might even be a better point to share, before even preparing for the worst, is to not take it all so seriously! I mean, really? Is that worst case scenario really that bad? There was a scientific experiment done once where there were people of different backgrounds all living in the same building, but dealing with psychological issues. As different people would come in, raging angry or in a panic, the leading doctor would say, "Remember rule #6?" Instantly the person would snap out of it. What was rule #6? "Don't take yourself so seriously." (It was a little more colorful than that, but you get the idea.) As humans, we take everything so much more seriously than it is. So you might make a fool of yourself. Who cares? It was the effort that mattered. Life is fun. Acting is fun. Have fun.

There was a scientific experiment done once where there were people of different backgrounds all living in the same building, but dealing with psychological issues. As different people would come in, raging angry or in a panic, the leading doctor would say, "Remember rule #6?" Instantly the person would snap out of it. What was rule #6? "Don't take yourself so seriously." (It was a little more colorful than that, but you get the idea.) As humans, we take everything so much more seriously than it is. So you might make a fool of yourself. Who cares? It was the effort that mattered. Life is fun. Acting is fun. Have fun.

In the end, most of the fears we get swallowed up in are a result of the biggest fear of all; the unknown. So before you tackle the next big (or small) challenge, imagine it as an already done thing. Imagine what the success felt like, imagine handling the challenges, and imagine how proud you are of your growth. The truth is, the mind doesn't actually know the difference between something clearly imagined and something that's real. So activate your right brain and imagine as vividly as possible, what it is you want to accomplish or overcome. Use as many senses as you can. You may really surprise yourself at the ease you create!

At the  New York Acting School for Film and Television we pride ourselves on our teaching techniques, experienced coaches and interactive classes. To learn more or to register, please contact us today.