First Three Reps Don’t Count
I went surfing on the weekend…
Let me start this again
I tried to go surfing on the weekend
I love the word “try”
It’s the opposite of what was jammed down my gullet during school
“Don’t say TRY”
“Trying is weak”
“You WILL do it”
Thank you life-coaching postcard
Any who
I tried to go surfing on the weekend
It’s been 7 years since I last caught a wave (on a stand up paddle board)
So paddling out using my arms to catch some barrels is absolutely not my forte
The waves were nice and small
I had a lovely friend with me who is very experienced
And the sun came out so I could clearly see the ocean floor
But as perfect as the setup was
It took me about 30 seconds to feel completely overwhelmed
Paddling out with a foam board meant I wasn’t able to duck-dive smoothly
So when the waves came through whilst I was trying to make it passed the break
I got bashed around like a cork in a whirlpool
Within just a few moments
I felt like a complete failure
“I can’t even get passed the break”
“Everyone else can do this”
“This is pathetic”
It felt strange to be speaking to myself that way
(It’s been a while since I heard such a critical voice in my head)
But then I remembered
It’s been years since I actually paddled out
And even then… I’ve was never actually able to consistently catch waves and stand up
It felt lovely to admit to myself the truth
That I have no idea what I’m doing
So why am I putting so much pressure on myself like I should know?
I then remembered one of my favourite things I read about an olympic level athlete who I’m a big fan of
“The first 3 reps don’t count”
Yes!
I love that!
The first 3 reps are purely just to get in the arena
To give one’s-self permission to suck
After those first 3 reps?
Permission to start making adjustments
But those first 3…
No correcting
No fixing
No solving
Just get messy
Just play :)
So?
I took a breath
Laughed at how much I was flailing like a drowning monkey
Paddled in the most uncoordinated fashion
And just managed to make it passed the break
(Which was a win in itself)
Did everything magically become amazing then?
Nope
It sucked
I caught one wave in
Stood up and turned to my friend with the biggest smile of the decade
But then became so tired trying to get passed the break again
That I went an sat on the beach to catch my breath
I gave up
Tapped out
Surrendered
And it felt glorious…
Tried to go surfing for the first time in almost a decade
Just managed to stand on one wave
WAHOO
Now time for an Açai bowl and some honest conversations with an old friend
A great first try
Yes
I still suck at surfing
I didn’t end up winning the Rip Curl Bells Beach Comp
But I’m happy
It was my first of 3 attempts
So I’m not even going to give it much thought
I’ll go suck another 2 times (at least)
Then maybe start having a think about trying to improve.
What’s my point?
When it comes to all the different aspect of managing one’s acting career
Self Tapes
Call Backs
Director Meetings
Writing Scripts
Waiting Well
Game Plans
Game Days
First Day’s on set
Handling Pressure
New Accents
New linguistic styles
Practice
Coaches
Acting Classes
Etc
The first three reps don’t count.
Hope this helps
X