Ben Platt has just won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Dear Evan Hansen. As any theatre nerd will tell you (I’m certainly one of them), it’s a Broadway must-see.
The show speaks to acceptance, loneliness and related ideas/issues. This is the synopsis from playbill.com: All his life, Evan Hansen has felt invisible. But when a tragic event shocks the community and thrusts him into the center of a rapidly evolving controversy, Evan is given the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to be somebody else.
When Ben accepted his award, the last thing he said was this:
“Don’t waste your time trying to be like anybody but yourself because the things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful”
On the surface, image development appears to some to be about styling, brand building and public image management. It certainly is…but those are vehicles to help people express themselves in ways that leave them feeling accepted, confident and far from invisible.
Usually when you feel invisible what you crave isn’t notoriety or fame. It’s to be seen and appreciated for you you really are.
It can be frustrating and sad when you know you have a lot to give through your work and relationships but you feel under-appreciated and overlooked. When you communicate authentically through your presence, you signal the people who will “see” you.
We know there isn’t one right way to be or one path to success and happiness. My wish for you is that you can be the strongest version of yourself. The first step is to truly accept yourself and the second is to shine the spotlight on the right place. Discover whether you are recognizing your most valuable traits and gifts. Thanks Ben Platt for articulating it so well. It’s a message we all need to hear again and again because it helps us to accept other and to accept ourselves.
photo credit
The Los Angeles Times :Ben Platt, actor and nominee for “Dear Evan Hansen.” (Dimitrios Kambouris)