I’m in New York City and the past week I’ve been watching musicals. It’s been awesome.
These are the world’s best performers on the world’s biggest stages doing the world’s best shows.
Right?
Well, yes they are.
But I also realised this week that holding them in this position in my head was limiting me. They certainly are incredible. But sitting in the front row of a show the other night I saw myself up there. I saw the sweat. I saw the performers’ eyes behind the character. I saw the foot hitting the mark on the stage.
These are just people. They are at the top of their game, sure, but this is not unattainable. I realised that by putting them on a pedestal in my mind I had created a gap between where I am and where they are.
I think these kinds of gaps are useful when they encourage you to work to close it and keep you hungry. But the gap can be unhelpful when it makes you think it’s not possible.
I think we’d do well to remember that if we see something outstanding and amazing, we don’t immediately believe that it’s unattainable.
It’s outstanding, yes. And you can have it too.
