If it makes you smile, it can go in there!

Step Five…

Do it Anyway!

Hi Cathy

My English teacher has asked me to try out for the school play, and although part of me wants to, I ’m scared I’d mess up and go bright red and everybody would laugh. I’d feel so stupid!

Jaime, age 13

Cathy

We have to give a speech in class and I’m dreading it. I just won’t be able to get up in front of everyone like that without making an idiot of myself. It’s my worst nightmare!

Olivia, age 12

Unless you’re a drama diva, you probably don’t like reading out in class, giving speeches or taking centre stage… but you know what? The times when you push yourself to go beyond what feels easy and comfortable are usually the times you achieve your best.

Take a peek into that Happy Box. Remember how nervous you were playing recorder in assembly? Remember how your heart raced and your mind went blank, the day of that ballet exam? Yet you survived, and now you can be proud of your achievements. It takes courage to admit you’re scared and then go ahead and do the thing that scares you anyway, but it’s a part of growing up.

If we run away from every challenge, we never learn.

When I realized that being a writer wasn’t just about daydreaming and writing down the dreams, I was pretty amazed. Apparently, being a children’s writer these days means going out and about, meeting and talking to readers in schools, libraries and book festivals far and wide. I didn’t like the sound of that, to start with. Talking to big groups of kids… about me? That was never part of the plan! I didn’t have much of a choice, so I did it anyway.

It was like giving a speech at school, only about a million times scarier, but I survived, and soon found I enjoyed the buzz and the feedback. These days, it’s one of my favourite parts about being a writer – meeting you, the readers!

So, Jaime, if you try out for the school play you might not be perfect. Better not try, huh? And Olivia, safer not to face those fears about public speaking… best throw a sicky that day and wriggle out of it. But who would you be cheating? Yourself.

Jaime’s teacher believes she’d be great in the play – and she could be, if she just gives herself a chance. Many actors/actresses describe themselves as shy – but by ‘becoming’ someone else when acting in a play, they step outside that shyness and learn to shine.

Olivia’s confidence will take yet another knock if she runs away from this challenge. The way forward is to choose a subject she really cares about and research it well… she may still feel shaky on the day, but ‘acting’ confident will get her through.