And by 'we' I mean 'me'. I need to stop trying so hard. I need to trust. I need to go slow. (Thank you, Laura Munson.)
Baldwin's principle is simple: you don't want to watch someone who's overacting. It's not believable. You want to watch someone who's underacting, who makes the role seem believable. But actors just starting out feel like they have to prove themselves and put to work their superior skills (inherent or learned). And, in doing so, they prove themselves to be just the opposite. They need to relax a little, trust that what they've learned will work even if they're not trying so hard and thereby grow into their roles.
The same is true in everyday life. The more I act like a good girlfriend, a good employee, a good family member or a good friend -- the more I won't be a good girlfriend, employee, family member or friend. I'll be an actor -- overacting the part instead of letting it come naturally and growing into those roles. It sounds so simple, but in reality it's very, very hard. It's looking insecurity in the face and saying, "Calm down just a little. Relax. Just be in this moment and allow what's going to happen, happen. Do only what you can. Don't overreact or overact." It's breathing deeply when you feel like hyperventilating. It's being comfortable being yourself.
And that realization is #142.
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#143: Fantastic dinner with a close friend and her precious, 4-month-old daughter on Thursday night.
#144: Even more fantastic dinner with Mr. Wonderful at a restaurant we used to occasionally frequent.
#145: Absolutely amazing trip to a nearby park and river with Mr. Wonderful later on in the weekend.
#146: Spending far, far more time with Mr. Wonderful than I have since May. I'd forgotten how amazing it could be.
#147: Great church service last night.