"R, can you please show the right emotions here?" my drama teacher asked in elementary school. She would clutch her papers in frustration while I laughed during a scene that needed me to be serious.
My acting was so bad that my confused look in the play gave the impression that I had a cold, and my nervous act made people laugh because they thought I was silly.
I ended up ruining the whole point of the play.
Even though I loved everything about Hollywood and Bollywood, I joined the drama club every year until I was a teenager. Because of my acting, I was always given small roles. Still, I didn't mind being on stage, even if I only had one word to say. Just being part of it made me happy.
As a teenager, I began to lose hope in acting because I struggled to convey my emotions effectively through my words when it mattered most.
It was hard to accept that my dream of becoming an actor was slipping away from me. Still, I kept practicing in front of the mirror for hours, hoping to get better, but nothing seemed to work.
While I spent all that time in front of the mirror, I noticed that trying to act out emotions brought up a lot of memories—happy, angry, worried, or anxious. Sometimes, just saying a word would bring back a flood of old feelings. Perhaps that's why, when I tried to study, my mind felt too full to absorb anything new.
It made me reflect on the amount of baggage I was carrying, especially at such a young age in my 20s. I was ambitious to pursue many goals, but clinging to past reflections would hinder my progress.
I realized that I needed to let go of my passion for acting, especially since, after many attempts, it had not yielded the desired results.
But it made me wonder: how many times should we keep trying before we decide to stop? I think if one goal starts getting in the way of others, it's okay to let it go.
Embrace your failure and move on!
Although it took years to let go, I am glad that my failure to become an actor made me realize that acting was one of the many goals I had to forget about.
As I stand here today, my gray hair filled with wisdom and memories, I feel content with the times I aimed to hit the ball into the net while pursuing many hobbies.
Some attempts resulted in goals, while many did not.
Acceptance has always been the key factor for me, guiding me through every setback and moving me forward.
Mantra for today: Failure is a stepping stone to success as long as we are aware of the setback and choose to act on it.
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This is pure fiction!
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