Dear Jellybean,
OK I have been worried about this since like the fourth grade. I've noticed how hard it is getting for people to make money or go to collage or even live in a house! I've seen the smartest people not go to collage because of the price! I'm scared about not succeeding! I try to get straight a's but i can't! I get an a in every class but one. It's science and i just can't CONCENTRATE because the class is so......boring i always get a B. I was supposed to take the drivers ed class last year, but i'm scared to drive, i absolutely dunno a thin about driving! Also Is what I want 2 be is an actress when i grow up, but it seems so impossible, i want to go 2 juliards school of performing arts, but i know its impossible because of the cost. I've been trying out for the schools drama club for 2 years now and this last play i actually landed the leading role. i was very excited, but i have this major problem with singing. i don't have the confidence to do it. i've been taking a choir class for 3 years my voice has REALLY improved and i can only sing as long as one person sings with me,and when i do sing with my friends they tell me i'm an excellent soprano. problem is i'm afraid 2 try out for musicals when i get up there to sing my voice, hands, and legs shake and i lose all confidence and just stop. This happened after i took a class for singing on stage than tried out for a musical and bobmed it cuz i was so nervous. i still got a part but it wasn't the lead. i felt stupid. also i've never taken any acting classes, i asked the director of one of the plays if he knew of any and he said he really didnt think any would help. my friends think im very talented, but i can't sing by myself! They were all shocked at how bad i did. can u help me?! im scared my dream is to big i wont make it i wont go to collage ill never drive and ill be living on the streets im REALLY SCARED.
Dear Writer,
It's smart to want to prepare for the future, but it's not smart to get obsessed over the chances of failure. Instead of stressing about how many people don't get to go to college or live in a house, think about all the millions of people who DO. Educate yourself about ways to reach your goals, by learning about college scholarships and what it takes to get into a good school. Visit your school's guidance office for this info, or search online - there are great College Preparation links in the Myjellybean Study Central section (click here). You can also find out more about the admission procedures, etc. for the Juilliard School (that's how it is spelled, incidentally) at their website - click here.
Going to an expensive school such as Juilliard is not an impossible dream - that's what scholarships exist for. But it takes really, really hard work to succeed. If you give up on a class because it's boring, that's not working hard enough. Only you can decide whether you want to be really serious about your goal, or if it's not worth the work. If you decide that getting into a top school is what you really want, then "boring" isn't a good enough reason not to pay attention. The kids who focus even though they are bored will be applying to the same schools as you, and they'll have an edge because they concentrated. But as I said, it's up to you.
Driving is scary at first. for sure, but it's also a great skill to have. Of course you don't know a thing about it - you haven't learned it yet! That's what you go to class for, to learn a new skill you don't know already. I encourage you to go and give it your best try. I bet you'll find it gets easier and easier the more you learn and practice.
Your nervousness when auditioning is completely normal. Even experienced pros sometimes get the shakes. What helps sometimes is pretending be someone else - anyone other than you. Pretend you're some performer who you totally admire, and fully walk on stage like that person and belt out your tune as best you can. Do breathing exercises (taking long slow inhales and exhales) to calm yourself before auditioning. Search the Internet and you'll find lots of other audition tips - look up "getting over stage fright" or "nerves and auditions" in Google or Yahoo.
Overall, just breathe! You're in a panic because you're thinking about everything all at once. Instead, why don't you break down your goals into a point-form list, and then think about them calmly, slowly going point by point. If you just try to tackle one thing at a time, you'll find it much easier than trying to solve all your problems in one big clump. Hopefully then, your future will seem more "exciting" than "scary". :)
