I’m Failing. (But Failing is Succeeding, so it’s Okay).
Spending the better part of my life thus far on this planet as a performer, I am well accustomed to failure. I honestly couldn’t tell you my lifelong booking ratio, but there have been way more nos that yeses. Despite all the nos, I always soldiered on.
What is Success, Anyway?
I had just booked the national tour of a Broadway show and I was ecstatic. Upon hearing the news, one of my friends congratulated me by saying "you finally made it!" I knew this friend meant well. To them, I had finally succeeded. They defined success, for me, as booking a gig with national name recognition. And it was a huge success, but I also felt like that comment discounted every other major success I’d had, that led up to that point.