BWW Blog: Tara Folio - The Fear of Striking Out

Perfection: Something that everyone desperately craves, but no one can ever actually attain. Why is society so obsessed with striving for such an unreachable goal? The word "perfect" was introduced to my vocabulary at an early age; I remember my dance teachers instructing me that "practice makes perfect" when I was only three years old. Although this goal of perfection was initially meant to motivate us to do our best, these ideas of perfect stay with us as we grow older, and can often end up hindering instead of helping. At one point in my life, I felt that if I wasn't perfect at something that meant I was a failure; my life was dictated by fear. The idea that I wouldn't be good enough, my leg wouldn't kick high enough, my belt wouldn't reach far enough, and a million other examples of inadequacy paralyzed me with fear. Do you know what I learned from avoiding challenging opportunities instead of embracing them? Nothing. Letting the fear of imperfection control your life does not help you grow as a person or an artist. What we should be doing with our fear is channeling it into success. Are you afraid of taking that advanced dance class? Take it. Are you afraid of singing a song that is "not your type"? Sing it. Are you apprehensive about writing that musical that's floating around in your mind? WRITE IT. You will never know what you are capable of if you do not have the courage to try. Now, I know some of you are thinking, "well yeah, but what if I go for it and I end up looking stupid?". I have learned that no one will ever look stupid for trying; you're stupid if you don't. Spoiler alert: no one will ever reach perfection, but that doesn't mean we should resign ourselves to a life of failure. Instead of aiming for perfection, I have learned to aim for my personal best. Today I received some wise words from an artist who has been one of my constant inspirations over the years, he said "Have fun, don't be paralyzed by what you are not good at or not perfect- I screw up every single night. Last night I forgot a whole line in George Washington's address. I laugh at myself and become better-but will not listen to the voice that says failure". If we all gave up out of fear of failure, we could be missing out on some of the most beautiful and important moments of our lives. So go and dance, sing, write, act, paint, or whatever it is that inspires you, as long as you're living your passion, there's no way you can fail.