Break a Leg!

When I was a little girl, my parents were involved in community theater and they taught me that it was very important NOT to EVER wish an actor “Good Luck” before a performance, but instead, to offer them enthusiastic encouragement to “Break a Leg!”

Well, to a 5-year-old mind, that seemed downright sick, but my parents explained that it was bad luck to wish an actor good luck and that saying “Break a Leg” was actually the best way to wish an actor good luck.  Somehow, THAT made sense to my 5-year-old mind and I became just as superstitious as they were about it.  I still, to this day, could not wish an actor good luck with a clear conscience despite my logical knowledge that my words would have no actual relation to what sort of luck the performer would have.

Or would they?

What if I were to wish “Good Luck” to a performer who was just as superstitious as I?  This would, most certainly, distress him greatly.  He might feel insulted, sabotaged, or genuinely jinxed.  What do you suppose will happen to the quality of his performance if he faces his audience that evening with the thought in his mind that he has been cursed?

He will stumble on his lines, miss his cues and his timing will be off.  He will throw his fellow performers off as well and they will not give their best performances, either.  They do not even need to be aware of the ‘bad luck’ that was bestowed upon their fellow cast member.  They will suffer nonetheless.  My ‘curse’ would have worked!

So is it truly bad luck to wish an actor ‘good luck?’  Only if he believes that’s the case.

There’s a very strong phenomenon called the “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.”  That’s a popular Psych 101 term many people have heard of, but not everyone really understands how very strong it is.  I’ve heard it said that whatever a man thinks he can or cannot do, it doesn’t matter, either way, he’s right, and I truly believe that.  Whatever you think you cannot do, you won’t be able to do.  Whatever you think you can accomplish, that you will.

That makes it sound so simple, doesn’t it?  Just think that you can do something and Voila! – It’s magic!  You can miraculously do that thing?

Well, it’s not quite that easy, but it’s the start.  The very important start.  You must be able to see yourself succeed at whatever you want to accomplish or no one else will be able to see it, either.  You have to be able to see your published book sitting on the shelf at Barnes & Noble or the publicist won’t be able to see it and promote your work to a publisher.  You have to be able to see yourself, dressed in a black robe and mortarboard, walking across the stage to accept your degree or your chemistry teacher won’t be able to see it and award you a passing grade.  You have to be able to imagine yourself sitting in the living room of your new home or you simply will not be able to convince a mortgage lender to take a risk on you.  You must see it first and then others can, too.  You can do it!

Break a Leg!

Marlo J. Archer, Ph.D
Licensed Psychologist
1250 E. Baseline Rd.
Suite 102
Tempe, AZ 85283
480-705-5007
www.DrMarlo.com