For a few weeks now I've been raving about a book called, Grit by Angela Duckworth. The book has resonated with me on many personal levels and I've found it a particularly useful resource for actors. In no other industry that I can think of are the words, fortitude, grit, and determination more applicable - unoriginal as it may seem.
But this morning I came across a passage about, "Cost and Benefit." In other words, we have a tendency to weigh the amount of time, effort, or finances a project will entail and what we hope to gain as a result of our efforts.
As actors, more times than not, we fail to see our return on investment. How many hundreds of hours have you spent strengthening your voice, breaking down a script, or perfecting a monologue only to see the part go to another actor, or the project go through setback after setback?
I realized two things:
1. You do the work because that is the reward.
2. Showing fortitude, determination, and "grit," is often less about where it will get you, but more a representation of who you are at your core.
Both are respectable reasons and arguably more noble than simpy trying to gain something.
You can check out Angela Duckworth's TED Talk below:
https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance
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