In improv and in life, fearlessness and freedom aren’t about boldness; they’re about trust.
May 29, 2023I’ve seen it countless times:
A new improv student opens their mouth, no sweaty palms, no subtle tremor giving away their nerves, no catch in their voice betraying their fear. Just confidence. Poise. An enviable boldness. A sense of fearlessness...and freedom.
And I’ve seen other students look on in awe. You know exactly what they’re thinking.
Why can’t they feel that fearlessness, that freedom? Why don’t they have the same confidence when they approach singing, with no sheet music, no plan, no certainty?
But here’s the surprising thing about fear:
Generally speaking, we have a back-to-front way of looking at what it means to be fearless.
Because it isn’t that the bold, confident improv student isn’t nervous. It isn’t that they don’t feel fear.
It’s isn’t even that old overly-simplistic adage of “feel the fear and do it anyway”.
It’s that they have trust.
They have trust in themselves and in their capacity to find the song they need to sing. They have trust in the unwavering support of their community, of the other singers around them. They have trust in the greater wisdom. They trust that whatever happens, it’ll be fine…they’ll be fine.
And that trust? In yourself, in your community, in the greater wisdom? It won’t just help you feel fearless and free in the face of an improv class — it’ll help you feel fearless and free in the face of whatever happens next in your life, in the world.
Because — and I know I’ve said this before — but it bears repeating.
Life right now feels like an improv class.
There’s no sheet music to direct us through what’s happening in the world; we’ve had no rehearsal. And that’s scary. Feeling bold, feeling confident, feeling fearless about what happens next seems like a big ask.
But it isn’t about NOT being afraid.
Just like in improv class, it’s about acknowledging the fear, the nerves, the doubts, the sweating palms, the desperate but unfulfilled desire for a plan, for certainty, for sheet music…and singing regardless.
It’s about placing your trust in yourself and in your community.
It’s about knowing that, while you don’t know what’s going to happen, you know that something’s going to happen — and when it does, when you get to the other side, you’ll still be you. Because the truth is, you’re not perfect. But that’s wonderful, because your audience isn’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for connection.
You’ll still be loved. You’ll still be supported. You’ll be able to keep stepping up to that mic, whether there’s a tremor in your voice, or not.
And when you do? You won’t necessarily feel fearless, but you will undoubtedly feel a boundless sense of freedom.
Ready to find that kind of freedom (figuratively or literally!)? We’d love for you to place your trust in our gorgeous community of Fearless Voices which will give you opportunity to learn songs as well as play with songs and improvise a few notes or lines.
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