The Performer in Life

13/07/22

Growing up, I had my fair share of experience in performing on a stage. There is a lot of preparation work that goes on prior to it as well as during it. Though I left the orchestra as a cellist 4-5 years ago, the lessons I have learned have stuck with me ever since I look back to it.

There are 2 mindsets that hinder my happiness in life: (1) living in the past and (2) living in the future.

Both of these were bad habits that were hard to get rid of and were the catalyst of my anxiety and sadness. However, at times like this, I would look back at when I was an orchestra member in high school.

We would spend hours, days, and months on rehearsals (past), perform on stage (present) and then reflect and celebrate (future). And the cycle repeats. This pattern resonates with life. But to truly understand the importance of being present, we have to look closer at the performing part.

I'm not going to talk about the cliché part on "Oh when you're performing, the stage is yours, so just be present. Forget about the rehearsal, forget about the aftermath and just enjoy the stage." To some extent, this statement holds true. However, such advice mostly has to work with your mindset. And it is relatively difficult to change the wiring of your thoughts on certain things.

Hence, instead of trying to change that hardwire inside that skull of yours, let's observe the actual environment from the perspective of a performer on stage. After all, we are all performers on our own stage called life.

When it's showtime, everyone in the room remains quiet except for you, the performer. The spotlight will shine on you as if it has found its target. The ambiance forces you to be present and to focus on yourself since the strong illumination from the limelight is so strong, it blinds you from the faces of the crowd.

In essence, isn't that what truly living in the present mean? You are always aware that people exist out there, but they would not mean a thing if you are under that spotlight, performing life. Even if you try to pry into other people's business, the stage prevents you from doing so. Since you would not have the time for that when you are on stage being yourself.

This is different from just a mindset, it is how a stage works. And by observing it, maybe it'll resonate with something in your life. In this case, grounding myself in the present is what resonated with me.

So, are you ready to enter this stage?