Doers and self-esteem – enhance self-confidence

“Mastering enough self-respect to say, ‘I want to be an actor,’ was a huge turning point.” Julia Roberts

Many talented and creative people report feelings of inadequacy, inadequacy, and sometimes low self-esteem. But there are ways to change those feelings and build self-confidence.

A number of film actors have reported that they do not watch their own films. When you can be seen in close-ups on stage screens 20 feet high, it can be especially hard not to be critical of your appearance, performance, and supposed mistakes.

Many actors are gifted and talented people, who may be highly critical of themselves and react harshly to criticism from others, such as teachers, other actors, and critics.

Talented people may also be perfectionists, measuring themselves against accomplished and accomplished professionals, like other actors, and may forget that these professionals have honed their talents over many years.

But even successful actors can feel low self-esteem and insecurities.

Meryl Streep admits that she has “various degrees of confidence and self-loathing,” and says she can have “absolutely awful” days where she doubts her talent or ability to achieve what she wants romantically in a given scene.

She also admits to sometimes being afraid that “it’s boring and they’ll find out I don’t know what I’m doing”.

Kate Winslet said that before going to a movie shoot, she would sometimes think, “I’m a hustler, and they’re going to fire me… I’m fat; I’m ugly; I look like a whore!” [She laughs].

Bill Nighy has commented on feeling a “huge disparity” between what you might think of yourself and your work and how other people judge it, even positively – thinking they’re “crazy” for applauding your work, but recognizing “that sometimes you’re just too good at what you do”.

So what can you do to build your self-esteem and confidence as an actor?

One way is to pay more attention to the positive things people say about your performance, when it’s real, and not pay so much attention to negative criticism. Or at least take care to accept only true criticism for what it is, and not to exaggerate it.

Develop yourself as a person and an actor, pursuing your interests in art, sports, or seeing friends, while also taking acting lessons. Getting into commercials, community theater, or any acting work can help with feelings of low self-esteem.

It may help to seek feedback from a teacher or other representatives about how you work, rather than waiting for feedback.

But building trust may not be just about building positive esteem or “shaking up” low feelings of respect.

Will Smith admits he doubts himself every single day. He said, “What people think is my self-confidence is actually my reaction to fear.” “I’ve always had a terrible fear of not achieving.”

But he’s learned to use his self-doubt and fear of failure, he says, “to turn that negative energy around and make it a challenge. I keep at it because I doubt myself. It pushes me to be better.”

Energy psychiatrist Judith Orloff works with many people, including actors, to help them transform powerful negative emotions like anxiety into positive energy for creativity. She has specific techniques in her book Emotional Freedom.

Supercharger Self-Esteem is a CD-ROM program based on sports psychology that can help boost confidence.

Many athletes report that listening to the program before a game or game improves their performance. It may also help you before an exam or performance.