Be Yourself.

I know a lot of people that have tried to be someone they are not. Typically, it doesn’t work. That’s not to say that it can’t work, but, to quote my dear friend, the late Bob Nastasi, “It Ain’t Easy”. Those of you that knew Bob remember it well.

Henry Fonda once told Jimmy Stewart, “Never let ‘em see you act.” In other words, if the audience perceived that the actor was just “acting”, then the actor was not convincing enough. When you try to be someone you are not, you just might not be convincing enough.

If you don’t know how to be yourself, then try to remember the events of your life, the everyday tasks, the friendships, and think about your decisions and the feelings you had. Those are a starting point. From there, try to focus on your hopes and dreams as a child. Think about the things you have done, things you wanted to do and have not yet done, and things that you always thought would be cool to do and never thought the opportunity would come your way.

Your life has been a series of decisions, some good, some bad. The good news is that “it ain’t over ’til it’s over” (thanks Yogi Berra). If your first attempt at something was not successful, fine, learn from it, and do it again. Whatever you do, though, just remember, be yourself, nobody is better suited for the job.

Don’t wait for opportunity to come to you… go to it.