Observation

Observation, both of oneself and others, is an indispensable friend.
It is quite different from criticism.
To criticize inherently means to pass judgment,
whereas, to observe, there is no judgment.
Realize that whenever you pass judgment,
you also have the ability to observe yourself passing judgment.
The child-within is not born with this disability to criticize,
but it is born with the innate capacity to observe.
Because of this fact, the child-within is closer to what is alive,
and thus closer to true spontaneity and creativity.
This is the major reason why actors, initially,
cannot understand the child-within's language.
To the child-within,
there is no right and wrong, good or bad, yes or no,
there is only what is.
An actor, like a child, is not humanity's critic, but rather,
humanity's reflection and mirror.
After a period of self-observation it will become apparent
that the critical voice does not disappear.
Quite often it seems to become even louder and stronger.
Do not be disheartened.
All that is taking place is that the critical voice is becoming more conscious.
Do not expect an ingrained habit,
blindly obeyed for years, to miraculously vanish overnight.
Now, along with the effort to observe, (i.e. withholding judgment),
an actor can make use of seven inherent, and interrelated human faculties.
They are: relaxation, attention, a sense of humor, testing reality,
impressions of beauty, anger and a quiet mind.

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