Day 178: Listening to Critics

Should be Day 197.

There once was a man named Doug.  Ever since he was six, Doug wanted to be an actor.  He would watch other kids on his favorite TV shows and think, "That looks like a lot of fun."  He tried reenacting different scenes, dressing up in his brother's clothes and stealing his mother's make-up to make himself appear older.  He had great fun trouncing around in his dad's shoes and belting out random phrases dramatically.

His parents knew that they had no choice but to get their son involved in drama or acting.  They enrolled him in some acting lessons, and he used his new-found skills to land him almost every main role in school plays.

"This is what I want to do," he told his parents.  "I want to be a famous actor that someday everyone will love."

Doug continued to work hard at his acting as he grew up and tried out for several roles in college plays, TV commercials, and guest appearances in sitcoms.

After facing years of rejection, Doug finally was cast as a character in a new TV show that was premiering next fall, and he was a star within days of his first episode airing.  Doug earned all the fame and success he craved.  He had TV and magazine interviews, several fan emails, and much attention in the media.  As glorious as it was basking in his glory, Doug was bothered by the negative criticism he was receiving.  He felt that he was a good actor, and to know that some people questioned his talents or made fun of him made him question his talents and doubt if he was anything special.  He started to work extra hard, for the sole purpose of proving his critics wrong that he could act the way they expected him to.


Doug's critics had various opinions, and it was hard for him to address every criticism without losing his identity while conforming to what others thought he should be.  Due to emotional exhaustion and mental fatigue, his performance suffered.  It was during this difficult time in his life that Doug's best friend Matt reminded  him of something very important.

"Doug, you told me when you first started seriously acting that you wanted to act for God.  People can be wrong and often cruel in their criticism.  God is the only person that you should be trying to impress."

The young man took this to heart and from then on ignored the people who hated him.  It was actually quite a relief to focus on one person's expectations for himself, instead of a dozen.  Plus, his unique acting qualities that helped create his fan base drew more people to him.  At his first Oscars speech, he dedicated winning his award to God.