I’ve just spent the last four days watching casting for a series of videos we’re creating for one of our clients. Every time I watch a casting session it’s a mix of emotions — embarrassment, awe, passion, gratitude, wonder, and of course, thanks. Usually the sessions are all over the place. There are always some great performances and some that are just plain awful. But most of the performances are somewhere in the middle.

What all the actors do is put themselves out there in a way that offers them the possibility of great success and great failure every single working day. For that, I will always be in awe of actors. They give so much in every audition knowing that most likely it will not pay off. Really, how can they not fear failure when there are always 30 or more other people battling for the same role? These folks do not deserve the stereo type they live with.

Would you be willing to put yourself out there and give it all you had every day? Even if you knew you had very little chance of accomplishing your goal? I rarely have to. But I wish I had the kahones to do what they do almost every single damn day.