I think it’s important to have a mantra. Personally owning a word or phrase that you can repeat non-stop to calm and center yourself when you are at your absolute worst is key to maintaining some mental stability. My mantra, although widely overused, is “Everything happens for a reason.” I believe that the events that happen around you and the opportunities that arise are not circumstantial. If you follow your instincts and make decisions based on your heart’s desire, you will lead the life you were meant to live.
Being the Broadway enthusiast that I am, my internal singing voice was hitting high C’s when I saw an article on Mashable promoting Idina Menzel’s newest venture, If/Then. The musical documents Elizabeth, a newly divorced NYC gal, who meets her two friends, Kate and Lucas, in Madison Square Park. Both friends suggest two very different life paths for her including a change of name and future plans. Kate suggests that Elizabeth start using the name “Liz” and start seeking out new life experiences, while Lucas urges her to start making professional connections in the city and go back to using her college nickname, “Beth.” The show depicts two paths that Elizabeth’s life could take, each beginning with her two friends and her one choice.
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Idina Menzel states in the article her own personal If/Then story, “If I had not auditioned for a little off-Broadway show called Rent, then I would not be in If/Then today.” The article goes on to prompt readers to tell their If/Then story in their own Instagram video. Needless to say, I love this concept. Not only does it make readers think about the choices they have made in the past that have ultimately sculpted their future, but it also ties in the art of music theater and the personal connection between actors and their work.
I think about this subject a great deal. The domino effect eats me alive sometimes, knowing that each decision will affect my future in both big and small ways. The choices that I have made along the way have brought me to where I am today both personally and professionally and I can’t help but think what my life would be like if I had made just one alternative decision. If I hadn’t stopped pursuing Music Theater, would I be in NYC rather than Boston? If I didn’t suck so badly at Anatomy and Physiology my junior year of high school would I have gone on to be a Physical Therapist? Like I said earlier, the best way to ease my tension and anxiety of the unknown is to repeat “everything happens for a reason!”
My If/Then Story: “If I had not decided to abruptly stop auditioning at colleges to be a Music Theater major and pursue Public Relations, then I would not be at mm/c today.”
Posted by Emily B
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It’s safe to say that everyone has been on a bad date at some point in their life. Whether it was at age thirteen and your “boyfriend” had clammy hands at the movies, or last week when the hot stranger from your building admitted to watching people out his windows over drinks, it has happened to all of us.
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