For those of you who don't know, a lot of my life revolves around the theatre. It was there that I received some of the best advice that still holds truth to this day. I was an itty bitty freshman in high school under the direction of Mr. Marty Bufalini (amazing name right?!) . Of course, he taught me so many tools of the trade related to theatre, however, he taught me something that stretched beyond just theatre. If he knew someone wasn't at the top of their game or they were just having a rough day, he would say this to them, “Just leave it at the door and focus on putting on the best show you can.” It took me a while to get used to this idea. Just drop everything you are worried about and focus on doing your best. Throughout the years I have always kept this advice in mind.
As I walk through the stage door into a theatre I just think to myself, “This is where I am going to leave all of my stress, worry, and negative energy. Right now all that matters is putting on the best show I can.” This has helped in so many other fields as well. If I am walking into class just absolutely stressed, I just leave it at the door. What so many of us don't realize is that worry has absolutely no positive impact. I think all of us can say for sure that feelings of worry and stress have absolutely no positive impact on any task that requires focus. We become strung out and stressed and our mind is elsewhere when really it should be focused on what is right in front of us. Of course, at first, this is easier said than done.
If you are like me, you just want to fix everything. If something is wrong we just want to go above and beyond to get everything back to how it was before. Unfortunately, we are given situations where everything is completely out of our hands. We then worry, stress, overthink, and just surround ourselves with negative energy. When I know I am headed into this downward spiral I remember to “leave it at the door". So for all of you out there who deal with stress, nerves, negative energy, or are about to do something incredibly important, just remember to leave all of that at the door. Focus on being 100% present to what is right in front of you. I thank Marty Bufalini for this advice that has helped me beyond words. I know I can say for sure that his advice hasn’t just impacted my life, but also so many that had the privilege to work with him. Thank you so much for teaching us to “leave it at the door” in any situation. It’s amazing how such a simple phrase can have such a powerful impact on one’s life and can stretch beyond the walls of a high school theatre.
