Greatest Accomplishment

Just today i wrote a blog telling you to just ask me anything. My friend Laura asked this:

"What is your greatest accomplishment so far in life?"

My first thought was to say something super spiritual, like getting baptized at 11 and never getting involved in certain types of behavior, or teaching a bunch of troubled teenage girls the word of God, or waiting until marriage to have sex. But i immediately changed my mind, realizing that, even though those are good things, they have nothing to do with ME. Those are things that I could not have done at all without God's help. Those are things that His grace & mercy & strength ALONE are what helped me. Those accomplishments were soley because of HIM working through me!

So, on a lighter note, but just as important to me, I am going to have to say that my greatest accomplishment would be when i performed as Little Becky Two Shoes in Urinetown, the musical.

Takes a trip down memory lane looking at these pictures. I LOVED every second of every minute of being a part of this show. That was October of 2007 - 2 years ago - & people are still talking about how we wish we could do it just ONE MORE TIME! SUCH a blast.

But the reason i call this my greatest achievement is because it was largely out of my comfort zone! Yes, i LOVE to act & sing & perform, but i am also naturally shy around people i don't know, intimidated by directors i respect & by actors who i feel are better than me or more experienced. I am probably more nervous in auditions than anyone else, but i KNEW for THIS audition, i would really have to let go of all inhibitions & just go for it! And i did it!

Urinetown, the musical is a bit CRAZY (as i'm sure you can tell by its title!). It's fun, quirky, with a really smart (but wacky!) sense of humor. It's about a town that has to start PAYING to pee. They do it, day in & day out until this dorky kid starts a revolution. I know it sounds kind of gross, but it's HILARIOUS. Trust me. Even my super-conservative dad enjoyed it.

I played Little Becky Two Shoes. She was a psycho crazed killer lady - haha- & to do this i had to forget about any shyness! I did NOT want to be the weakest link in the show. People always talk about the weakest link (if there is one) & i did not want to be that person. I knew i had it in me to do the part well, i just had to make myself do it! That makes it sound like a chore, but it's not. It can be hard, but it is SO fun & rewarding! I always wanted to play the sidekick roles. Not the lead, but the fun quirky (or in this case, psycho!) characters. I wanted to BE little becky, inside & out. It was hard work. It was definitely me jumping WAY out of my comfort zone. But i did it.

& i am eternally grateful for the director for casting me in this role. I had a solo. And it was FUN! I remember once doing my solo at a rehearsal & my director said to me, "no don't step back, step all the way downstage" & so i did. But the next time i did it i stepped back again! He was like, "No! You have a tendency to step back when you peform. Come all the way downstage & go for it!" I will never forget that. I didn't even realize i was stepping back but that was definitely showing the way i felt- self-conscious. I began to let go of that & i gave my all in that role, without being timid.

I do not mean to say that God didn't help me in this- He was there all the way rooting for me! I believe He gave me this opportunity so that i could kick off some of my shyness! But I had to actually do it. I had to go for it. I had to force myself to drop the inhibitions & fears & do it. I am so thankful that i did or i truly would have missed out. I hope for more challenging fun roles in the future!

Please be sure to comment on this blog & ask me anything!