At this year’s Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) Award show, actor Timothee Chalamet spoke about his career in a beautifully frank way during his acceptance speech for Best Actor:
“I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is, this was five and a half years in my life. I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan. A true American hero, and it was the honour of a lifetime, playing him… and lastly, I can’t downplay the significance of this award, ’cause it means the most to me. And I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats, I’m inspired by the greats here tonight. And I wanna be up there.”
Wow, it’s rare that someone in Hollywood speaks with that level of truth. Timothee laid it all out without mincing his words or alluding to greatness, instead saying plainly that he is trying to be great.
This reflects a big change that we’ve seen recently in popular culture, and it exemplifies an important message that we should carry with us throughout our lives: we need to try. We’ve all heard the age-old adages that speak on resilience and putting your best foot forward. At the same time, there’s always been an underlying caveat to these messages — be resilient, but only when you’re already succeeding. Put your best foot forward, but only when you already have that foot in the door. Try as hard as you can, but only when it already seems effortless.
Contrary to their intent, this line of thinking discourages us from actually trying. Think about it — when was the last time you tried something new for the first time? When was the last time you allowed yourself to be genuinely awful at something? When was the last time both of these were true and you kept doing that activity anyway?
If you’re anything like most people, the answer to these questions is probably ‘few and far between’. The good news is, the best time to start isnow. Giving yourself permission to try is one of the most freeing things you can do for yourself. Try everything you can, and let yourself be awful at it.
I recently started applying this principle to my life and I am shocked by the difference it has made. For example, I recently decided that I wanted to have stronger arms and go to the gym more. Have I ever really focused on arm workouts before? No. Do I have a proper form for most workouts? Probably not. Was I able to lift anything more than 5-pound weights when I started? Also no. Do I even know what most arm workouts look like? You see where I’m going with this. But even in the week or so where I’ve been trying these workouts out, I already feel so much stronger If I had never let go of my fears and simply put myself out there, I never would have graduated to 8-pound weights. More importantly, I would’ve never rediscovered just how much I enjoy working out and feeling strong and powerful in my body, and I really do notice myself getting stronger each day.
My point is: try. Try everything you possibly can, and know that the struggle is all part of the fun. Try and let yourself fail. Try and let yourself look like an amateur (because we all start with something!) Try and you’ll discover just how much fun you might have and how many amazing experiences you’ll be a part of. The best thing you can do for yourself in 2025 is try!