Confusion Is a Sign of Progress

For the last few weeks, I have been teaching a pretty intense class called Preparing a Role. The actors in this class each select a role and then spend 8 weeks preparing the material by doing script analysis, score analysis, historical research, dramaturgical research, movement studies, daily exercises. It is a ton of work. 

It is right around this time in the process (week #3 of 8) that the actors start to express a sense of confusion. Now that they have spent all of this time learning about and sifting through the work, they realize that there are so many possible interpretations, so many choices they could make, so many paths they could take. Progress! 

Just 3 weeks ago, they entered the class with a pretty confident sense of what they were going to do with their role. Now, they are not so sure. Although this moment of confusion is so frustrating for them, as the teacher, it is the moment when I can take a breath and say, “this is working. This is exactly what progress looks like.” At the end of their 8 weeks with the role, many of them will reflect on this moment of confusion as the turning point in their process. 

The other day my podcast co-host Peter Shepherd reminded me of this quote*:

“The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions.”

As we move through these challenging times, let’s remember that we are only able to arrive at confusion if we first try to understand something. When we feel that pang of frustration because we are confused, instead of throwing up our hands and deciding there is no path forward, let’s choose to ask questions. Confusion becomes a question. A question becomes an answer (or many possible answers). And those answers lead us to new information, new understanding, and, yes, new questions.  Progress!

*The internet attributes this quote to several different people: Tony Robbins, Dr. John Demartini, and more.