Sunday 19 February 2012

Round 15: The Knock Out

I love boxing and I especially love watching boxing games with my Papa. Seeing his inner kid's enthusiasm spill out when he's watching a big fight, is entertainment in itself! I was watching a fight on TV the other evening and it got me thinking about some of our greatest boxing legends, like Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. What was their secret formula to success?  From watching some footage of those games with my Papa, you could smell their stamina, focus, concentration, intelligence and determination - never giving up. I can see how those qualities would be important for what I do or for any other goals one might have. I know I've been 'knocked out' hundreds of times in the 'boxing ring', except my boxing ring is the casting room! I've been either knocked out as soon as I walk in, cause I don't look right for the part, and then other times I get knocked out at the very end, when it's down to me and another gal. (Must admit, that can pinch hard, when you get that far, and you're so close, but then it doesn't go your way) But like every great boxer, if they got knocked out, they'd find the strength inside to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start all over again. That's what I've been doing since I was 4 years old. Whether it was when I was bullied at school, or when I didn't win a singing competition when I was in my teens, or when I didn't land that great part I wanted so badly. It's funny, no one really wants to talk about the 'knock outs' they might have had...you don't hear so much about them, - only the triumphs. But, I've learned that the rejections are just as important to the growth of one's journey, and I bet you anything, for every rejection, comes a pretty cool story behind it as well! :) The beauty of rejection or falling, or making a mistake is that I learned from each and every one of them, and I hope that's made me a better person, a better actor and a better artist. Those twists and turns helped me reach my future milestones, and we all have milestones in our lives, to celebrate and be proud of. :) (Credit to Anokhi Magazine Founder, Raj Girn for telling me that). Sometimes we're just too busy to notice them. Hands up, I'm guilty of that sometimes. lol But it's only when we look back, can we connect the dots and everything seems to make sense all of a sudden. 

I laugh wholeheartedly when someone says to me, 'everything comes so easy to you, Karen.' If I've made it look easy, then let me endearingly enlighten you all and say, I wish! It most certainly did not come easy, but then again, anything worth achieving, is never going to be an easy path. But it also doesn't have to be impossible either, and the great thing about following your heart is that you're less likely to have any regrets, no matter how challenging the path may be... Saying that, the irony is that my role as Kayla Graham, in Touch, literally happened overnight! But let's just say it was a very loooooooooooong night to get there. But I'm glad it was...I am constantly learning every day on this journey, and whatever 'knock outs' I've had in my life, they've made me hopefully a little wiser, a little stronger, and a little more prepared for the next step down this winding road... No matter what happens, I'm still excited about what's possible...