4 Ways of Taking charge of Your Life: the theatre way!
I woke up this morning, and in my usual morning conversations with papa, where we primarily discuss lessons from the Indian scriptures, I re-realised that we are in the last quarter of 2022!
After all, as it is said in the Bhagwat Gita,
“Time devours everything. It is in the womb of time; that even the greatest civilisations have disappeared.”
This is a happy reminder that I better take charge of these wonderful three months.
Papa asked me, “what did I mean by taking charge of this quarter?… is it business or life or … “
Yes, it’s taking charge of my overall life!
It is understanding what I want and having the courage for self-analysis, self-control and, eventually, the patience to follow through. Know my life mission statement… e.g. My purpose is to live life to the fullest by taking care of my ‘self’, relationships, finances and overall happiness to the best of my abilities, one day at a time.
I started to wonder further what taking charge meant to me.
Healthy relationships? A thriving business? Time well spent with my loved ones at home and work?
Am I consciously starting to spend time with the right people?
Beginning to make happiness a daily priority?
Letting go of any self-limiting or self-doubting behaviours?
Simply, I am making my life simple again. Period.
The truth is that eventually, I can take charge, and that feeling is nothing but sheer happiness. Isn’t it?
There are as many definitions of happiness or taking charge as I term it now as there are sparkles on a starry night because happiness looks different to different people.
But here is something we all share: If we’re not happy, life may seem confusing and somewhat unsettled. Right?
So today, I wanted to explore how I can take charge of my life and refresh my happiness. And, now that I intend to create my steps of action for the next three months, what better than creative arts to find peace in the chaos?
“After all, if you are the author, you get to write the storyline, the characters and also the ending.”
Isn’t it…
1. Theatre taught me to change my lens.
Theatre teaches you to be self-aware. You wear a different lens and clearly see that what happiness means to you may differ greatly from what it means to anyone else.
Simply put, you got to be aware — self-aware. Just like how when on stage, you got to be conscious of everything that is going on around you and unambiguously everything going on within yourself, actors on the stage of life, too, need to change their lens at times and be aware of their presence — physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually. Only then can one plan to fully live the character and feel happy playing it because you are in charge.
Heightened self-awareness and understanding of your capabilities are fundamental for taking the lead in any field. So, the first step for you is simply defining what happiness or taking charge looks like for you.
Let’s dream for a moment. Imagine that money and time are not a hindrance.
Remember, it’s easy to get triggered, to feel threatened, and to live with a “reactive mindset.” You almost always have an option. Despite living in the “VUCA — Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous” reality, you can still choose instead to live with a proactive or what I like to term the “creative mindset.”
Living with a creative mindset begins with a conscious pause and focused awareness. Mere having an inspiring vision for life is not enough. I knew I better back it up with a strategy and practical action baby steps to achieve that vision. Results will most certainly be a happy by-product.
Are you ready? Take your pen and start writing the story of “brand you” now!
· What does your life look like to you?
· How are you spending your time from now onwards?
· Are you travelling? Where are you headed to?
· What does your ‘us’ (read: family at home and work) and ‘me’ time look like?
· What type of work are you doing?
· Who are you putting in most of your time with?
Draw what your dream life looks like. Also, draw bridges, boats, islands, waterfalls, etc., to depict any specific events, experiences, or people helping you swim smoothly in the river of your life.
That is what a profound observation indeed looks like for you. Isn’t it?
Take charge, now!
2. Focus on what’s going right and be & do more of that.
Theatre teaches me every day that by being open to criticism or what I often reframe as constructive feed-forward, I can focus on what’s genuinely helping me take charge of my life. I have observed and experienced that no actor has ever given her best performance without some feedback or criticism, as it is generally termed in the acting world.
Actors on stage always do their best to put on a memorable yet natural performance in the show, which is almost impossible without getting feedback from people on and off stage with more experience. Theatre not only exposes actors to a better understanding of their art and craft but also brings their attention to what’s going right and what’s not. It also makes them more receptive to comments and encourages introspection to become better whole-body listeners. They learn to respect different points of view.
It’s elementary for us to get caught up in the weeds of life: the frustrations, annoyances, and challenges. But the truth is, if you stop and think about it, you’ll probably realise that there’s a lot to love about your life. So theatre allows you to take that conscious pause and choose to be and do more of what’s going right.
Take some time off right now to focus on those things.
· What are the five things you genuinely appreciate about your current life at work?
· What are the five things you like about your non-work life?
· Awesomeness, right? Didn’t you just realise you have so much to be grateful for? Highlight them.
3. Make yourself your top priority.
I always tell my clients that you have to take care of yourselves. Only then can you take care of others. Period.
As professionals, you are constantly multitasking, taking care of all your stakeholders — your clients, colleagues, bosses, your family… and the list is endless.
Where is the time and energy to focus on ourselves, is it?
However, specific characteristics exist while preparing for characters to play on stage. You have got to just listen to your body and take a conscious break whenever your physical or mental body tells you. Catch some sleep. Get sincere about your body’s fuel — the nutritional needs. Invest time in your relationships with people, places, and things that energise and inspire you.
It is said that the show must go on. We all face multiple challenges in life every day.
Feeling happy and taking charge is hard when you’re sick, exhausted, and stressed. However, imagine 10 of your teammates, and all of them don’t show up for one day because life got them down. There will never be a show, then. Theatre taught me how to make the show go on even when I’m feeling low.
Simply put, taking care of yourself on priority will give you enough energy to take care of your other priorities. And you’ll be able to make the show go on and also enjoy the show!
4. Celebrate Failure.
Most of us cannot articulate the word failure in a positive sense. It seems a terrifying word to most of us. But why should it be? My mentor, Sunil Prem, repeatedly reminds us, “there is no such thing as failure. Failure is just another opportunity to improvise.”
The fear of failure is among the leading reasons that keep us from choosing the path we truly desire.
Starting now, I want you to look at this, probably the unreal fear, through a different lens. The moment you label failure mere as fear and that too, in most cases, an imaginary fear, it starts to lose its power, and you feel free from this moment on!
It’s just this scene or the storyline of your entire play called life. The script itself is leading you in a different direction. Go with the flow. Life is simple.
Simply Improvise!
Here’s to your taking charge of the last quarter of 2022… and beyond!
P.S. The ultimate step in your artist’s journey?
An artist repeatedly takes a conscious pause, steps back, and looks at the gigantic mural she is creating for herself. You are simply an observer. You only notice what is and what isn’t working. Then, iterate and reiterate. You watch your vision, the results you seek, your strategies, and your implementation plan. You pause, revisit, reflect, and then choose to take action to refine the masterpiece you are co-creating with your co-actors' help.
