The lessons we can learn from actors go way beyond how to communicate more successfully. The world of performance offers lots of important life lessons as well.
Acting is about taking risks, making clear choices and doing ridiculously embarrassing things in public and living to tell about it. (A particular career lowlight of mine was playing a cat on stage. And not just any cat. A female cat. With … wait for it … a German accent. Bravo!)
Acting also thickens your skin. When you’re told “no” 10 or 15 times for every “yes,” you get pretty accustomed to rejection and learn not to take it (too) personally. That’s an important lesson for anyone in the workplace who has to pitch new business on a regular basis.
Here is a guest post I wrote for the Creative Freelancer Blog, offering my five tips for dealing with rejection.