Ok, don't let the title scare you. I'm not going anywhere, in fact I'm more passionate and optimistic about this whole operation than I've been in a long time. However I wanted to share the following thoughts with you about regret (most of them synthesized from comments of other's who've been at this longer than me):
If in ten years you leave acting to take up a "real" job and live out the rest of your life, will you regret leaving? Well, that really depends on how you are pursuing acting at the moment. If you are preparing 100% for every audition, and giving your auditors the best that you have to offer every step of the way, then no. No, you shouldn't have any regrets, you've given it an honest to goodness shot and maybe it's not the right path for you. However, if at every audition you only give 50% and prepare half as well as you could and then leave acting to take up a day job... well then you will have regrets. They'll gnaw at you: I'd have made it if I'd taken it more seriously, or nobody saw what I really had to offer.
Not giving it your all is a cunning cop-out. I've seen my students (and myself) use it all the time. If you don't study for the test and you fail, it's no big deal. "I could have aced it if I tried, y'know If I'd wanted to." But imagine how heartbreaking it would be if you study your hardest for your test and you still fail, or you only get a B. Getting an honest assessment of ones abilities and limits is scary, a lot of people never dare to do much of anything for this reason.
That said, I will dare to be brave. I will do my damnedest, and if I come up short, then I'll have to accept it. But at least I'll know I did my best, and that is something I won't be able to regret.
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