It appears that one of my favorite songs in The Sound of Music is the song Julie Andrews liked least of all.
The Sound of Music. What a story, with Julie Andrews as Maria, the spunky postulant (almost-a-nun), who falls in love with Captain von Trapp, the stern widower with seven children.
I love the scene where Maria sings “I Have Confidence” as she strides down the street in those awful convent cast-off clothes, trying to convince herself that she’s not afraid of her future. If acting brave equals courage, Maria is one of the most daring woman you’ll ever meet, fictional or true to life.
Here’s what Julie Andrews said in a recent interview about “I Have Confidence”:
“The lyrics were a bit inane. Actually what I did, because I couldn’t make sense of it and I have to have lyrics that make sense, I decided the best way to sing I Have Confidence was to go completely nuts with panic and fear and busy work.”
The way Julie Andrews played Maria teaches us a valuable lesson: Take a closer look at courage and you discover that oh-so-brave person is faking it.
Don’t believe me? Well, maybe you’ll believe what some other, more notable people have to say about courage:
• “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say it is brave.”~Mark Twain (1835-1910), American author & humorist
• ”Courage is being scared to death — and saddling up anyway.” ~John Wayne (1907-1979), American actor
• “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” ~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (1890-1973), American World War 1 fighter ace
For all our talk about having confidence as a writer, let’s admit that all confidence has a root of fear – an “I can’t do this” thread woven through it. We start there – afraid – but we don’t stay there.
Fear rules the day – and our lives – if we focus on everything that could go wrong along the writing road – rejections, rewrites and all the waiting while others walk through open doors.
Choose to live the life of a courageous writer. Go ahead, admit that pursuing your dream is scary – and go after your dream anyhow. Admit that you might hear a “No, thank you” from an editor or an agent – and go ahead and pitch your novel anyhow. Admit you may come back from a conference without anyone asking for your manuscript – and go ahead and polish that work-in-progress anyhow.
Do what you’re afraid to do.
It’s all part of courageously living your dream.