Litz Butcher
What Role Do You Play?
I have just returned from a trip to Los Angeles. Whilst I was there I spent a lot of time around actors, both watching them work and socialising with them. I observed workshop scenario’s where they were demonstrating their abilities and receiving constructive critique from potential agents. I also had the pleasure of seeing them perform live in theatre plays and movies.
After seeing so much interaction between humans that was clearly just role play, I began to wonder. Do we all just play characters in our lives? If so, is it consciously or unconsciously that we do it? For myself, I am a healer, a clairvoyant, a medium, a wife, a mother a grandmother and until recently I was a daughter. All of those requiring very different approaches. I have to balance my position and what is expected of me between each one, as of course do other people. Sometimes the balance is not easy to maintain and the roles are hard work.
In some parts we take the lead, we are the star. In others we are merely an extra, a supporting artiste in our own lives. What happens though when we are tired of the role that we are playing? Suppose, we no longer want to be centre stage. Or perhaps we want to step forward and feature more prominently, no longer wanting to be seen to be filling in at the background.
Unlike conventional acting roles we are not able to rehearse with our fellow players. We have to have ‘cold reads’ of the conversations that take place in our lives, then after we have done so, we frequently wish we could have another shot at saying our lines in a different way.
How do you cope with the roles that you have to play in life? Would you like a change of scenery on your set or do you feel that you are just about to become the star of the production?
Send me a text, a voice message or leave me a comment on the blog to let me know if you feel improvements could be made to the part you play in your life or the lives of others.
Hi Litz,
I hope you are well! I’ve been trying to get through to you on the phones today, but there’s been a problem with my pin number, no one has any idea whats wrong with it!!!! Crazy electrical technical stuff!
I think we all live our lives in different roles, playing out whatever scene suits that moment in the apporpriate character. There are always times in our lives when we have to act totally differently to how we feel. There may be moments where we feel total euphoria but the situation we’re in doesn’t allow us to show it, it may be at work where we have to suppress that child like urge to scream and shout with joy or laugh uncontrollably because we have to remain calm andd professional. On the other hand, we may feel absolutely rubbish, on the point of tears, feeling like we’re breaking inside but we have to take a deep breath, stick a smile on our face, tell ourselves we can make it through and become this whole other person to the outside world so that we can get through the day.
This is how I feel most days, I feel like I’m breaking inside, almost to the point where I feel like I’m screaming without making a sound. When no one is around I cry a lot and let my emotions show but I can’t let the cracks show to others. I have to keep pretending so that others don’t see the failure I’ve become.
We all have to hide things, we’re all expected to be certain things to certain people and have to carry out those roles so that we don’t let others down. I guess it’s important to bear in mind the extent to which we do this, and the extent to which we hide away and suppress those emotions. If we keep running from ourselves will we eventually start running from others too?
I want to change the scenery, set, hell I want to change the whole plot of my life (as you know!), and I’m trying, although it’s slow I’m still trying. I’m still getting through my degree and I’m doing little things to try and help me through (a lot of the things we’ve talked about are really helping at the moment). Things are really bleak but hopefully through changing my role within my plot I’ll help to turn the story round.
Hope to speak to you soon,
Lots of love,
Lotte xx