Welcome to One Word Suggestion
Hosted by: Eran Thomson
This week's word is: Fear
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Show notes:
Links:
Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron
This podcast is intentionally short and sweet, so don't expect too much from the notes. We will, of course, share links and details of things discussed in individual episodes as appropriate - and that's about it.
The main thing to know is every episode of this show starts with a one-word suggestion, and there's no reason the next one couldn’t come from you.
As long as its not "dildo."
Transcript:
Have you seen the movie Atomic Blonde? If you haven’t, It’s cold war era spy movie, set in Germany while the wall is still up. It stars Charlize Theron, and there’s a scene in a nightclub where you can see a neon sign which says: "Everything you want is on the other side." I thought this was an allusion to The Berlin Wall and the perfect life people imagined might exist for them on the other side of it.
Later in the movie, there’s a wider shot and the whole sign is revealed where we can see it actually says:
"Everything you want is on the other side OF FEAR." By this time Charlize is kicking some serious ass, but all I could think about is where can I get one of these signs made? Because I love the expression and I think it’s absolutely true.
If something scares you? Go towards it. That’s where the learning lives. Fear often manifests itself when there’s something we know we want to do, but we’re hesitant to try because we might fail, get rejected, be disappointed, or whatever.
So if something keeps popping up in your brain and causing your stomach to drop – whether it’s applying for a new job, moving to a new city, asking someone out on a date, or taking an improv class – it’s usually a sign that you should be going for it. How does all this relate to improv? For starters, improv is a great place to get comfortable facing fears.
Maybe its public speaking, presenting, getting comfortable in your own skin, showing your authentic self to strangers… Whatever it is, long-form improv and the ensemble philosophy create an environment where you will feel fully safe and supported to make bold choices, experiment, and explore. Improv dissolves fear.
And that’s magical. Powerful. Life altering. In a corporate context, fear is debilitating.
Innovation suffers, change takes forever or doesn’t happen at all, people don’t share their ideas, communication collapses and culture withers. By incorporating some of the fundamentals of improv into a corporate context, you can help your team be less fearful of mistakes and more likely to succeed.
At LMA we always say “follow the funny,” but I think a good corollary to that just might be “follow the fear.” If there's something you’re afraid of right now, and it's not life-threatening, then it just might be your soul trying to tell you something. My advice is to listen to it. Take a deep breathe and jump right in.
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The ideas, observations, and perspectives shared here are mine alone.
I’d love to hear yours in the comments, or better yet in a review.
One Word Suggestion: Fear