All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.

All the world’s a stage & all the men and women merely players. – William Shakespeare

A youth production of “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” How does the guy describe the part he played? Nick Bottom, the jackass? Sometimes the Bard was subtle with the roles.

What does that mean?
This is one of the more famous quotes of the Bard. It is said by Jaques: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…” in the play As You Like It, Act II, sc. vii.

This as an interesting comparison between actors in their plays, and the rest of us in our lives. Actors will play different parts in different plays throughout their careers. Sometimes they will play multiple parts in the same play.

Similarly, we have different roles in our lives. At work or at school, in social situations, or with family and friends. We might be the lead at school, but a lesser player in the family. You might be the lead at home, but a lesser player at work.

Then we have the roles of parents to our children, as children to our parents, educators to our children (or parents, if it’s a tech gadget, right?), and so many others. Even at work, we might be a helper on one project, and the lead on another. Many parts indeed.

Why is playing our part important?  
If we turned our lives into a play (comedy, tragedy, drama, or what?), we would have our roles to play. We would have very different things to do in our different parts. As a parent, as a child, as a mentor, as a worker, as a leader. And that might just be one day in your life, right?

But what if we didn’t play our part or parts? How well would the play look if the lead decided to sit out? Even a bit player has a few lines which help to move the play forward. That’s why theater companies have under-studies, who practice and are ready if someone is sick or late.

But who will fill in for you if you aren’t there? Who will be you if you aren’t going to do it? What will the play which is your life be like? How well would it go? Would anyone want to watch? We are part of the fabric of life, and even if there is no script, we all have a part to play.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Sometimes it’s hard to play our role. As a dad, sometimes I have to really restrain myself to keep from fixing things for my kids. How will they learn if I keep doing for them. My role has changed from helper to mentor. And that can be a difficult transition.

Take a moment and think about all the different parts of your life. What roles do you play at work? How about at home? With friends or family? In your social groups? On special occasions? What about your roles with pets and even with complete strangers? What do you do and how do you act?

If you are anything like me, you have a pretty long list, even if it’s only in your head, right? Now that you have an idea what you are doing, what roles are you not doing, or which could use a little more practice? Are you at least as good as you need to be, if not better?

As there is always room for improvement, try to focus on what parts of your life actually need to get better. Finishing projects, completing those I have already started, that’s a role where I need to improve my ability. That requires working on my ADHD tendencies. How about you?

What are some of the roles which are changing in your life? I mentioned that my role as parent has been changing from doing for, to doing with, to being there to provide assistance. Soon, it will be time to let them do and learn on their own.

That’s the joy of life’s play, if you don’t like your present role, give it a little time, and things will be different! Unfortunately, the parts you like also change with time, and eventually go away. I guess that is why grand-babies were invented, right?

Everyone has their own part to play, and each part is different from day to day. Each is unique to that person, and only they can play it. But they also get to write their lines, and have some influence on the action. What will you say, and how will you say it? What will you do, and how will you do it?

It is up to us, each one, to do what we can. As we all had an entrance, each role will have an exit. There may be a sequel, or it may be over. What will you do before your final curtain?

From: Twitter, @amber_benson
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamsha166828.html
Photo by photoloni

Today we remember William Shakespeare, who was baptized 26 April 1564 (his actual birth date is unknown, although 3 days is often subtracted from the baptismal date and used as his birth date, or the 23rd of April 1564).