BWW Blog: Micah Young - The Inner Game Of Auditions

When I was a teenager I played tennis on the school team. I wasn't particularly advanced, and whenever we played the other middle school I was always paired with the more outstanding player. It comes as no surprise that I lost. A lot.

Realizing I had no chance of winning against my opponent, I figured I might as well learn. I began asking how the other guy had sliced the ball so neatly over the net, or how he had served the ball so well. Perhaps this was more frustrating to him: giving a tennis lesson rather than playing the game.

Maybe it's not so dissimilar, when we don't book the job from the audition, or seem to not do as well as someone in an interview. Auditioning on the surface isn't a game or a competition, with winning and losing. But then again it is. As amazing as we are at our talents, it never hurts to recognize someone who's playing a better game.

And while I might not have had a shot at winning tennis, that's not to suggest we don't have a fighting chance in the audition. But when we don't book the gig, there's an opportunity to learn, maybe from the person who did.