How often do you pay attention to statistics when you’re thinking about going out for a specific job or activity? And what do you tell someone who thinks you shouldn’t be able to accomplish something because so few people succeed at it?
Recently, for whatever reason, I started paying attention to statistics, especially pertaining to my own life and how unusually singular my circumstances were. Case in point: I was born with an extremely rare congenital neurological disorder known as Moebius syndrome. This condition is so rare that significantly less than 1% of the human population has it. Furthermore, at the time I was diagnosed, approximately 300 known cases had been correctly diagnosed since 1900.
Upon learning about my condition, the doctors spoke with my parents, earnestly stating that I should be placed into an institution since the chances of me pursuing a normal life were very remote. Thankfully, my parents decided against this course of action and took me home. By the age of three, we discovered I had perfect pitch after I could play the theme song from the movie Patton on the piano note for note. At the age of four, I taught myself to read which facilitated my entry into the talented and gifted (TAG) program. Regarding the prevalence of people with perfect pitch, 1 in 10,000 people have it, while 6% of all children in the United States participate in the TAG program.
When I entered high school in the early to mid 1980s, I discovered my love of acting and musical theater and very much wanted to consider acting as a career. However, there were extremely few actors with disabilities on television and film in those days. It wouldn’t be until 2007 that I finally made the decision to consider acting as a viable career, and even then, I was very wary of the statistics involved. Approximately 2% of all performers can make a living in the industry, and only 3% of all lines read from scripts are given to actors with disabilities.
I made it a point to learn about many performers with disabilities and their contributions to television and film but was not at all surprised to discover that we were not represented very well in the media. I admit to being daunted by those figures, but I nevertheless persisted in performing as a singer and very occasionally as an actor. To continue building on my acting skills, I ended up joining Toastmasters in 2013 to become a better actor and public speaker. I hadn’t even considered becoming a Distinguished Toastmaster until at least several years into my journey as a public speaker, whereupon I’d also learned that less than 1% of all Toastmasters become Distinguished Toastmasters.
Mark Twain is often quoted as saying, “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damn lies, and statistics.” At this point, I think I’m closer to believing him than ever. Or to put this another way: At what point does paying attention to all these statistics become a distraction? Granted, statistics can be a great way of measuring success in a specific field of study, but it also has the negative effect of telling someone, hey, maybe you’re not ready for this profession yet. After all, if only a small percentage of people make a living as a performer, shouldn’t you consider alternatives, or at least have a Plan B?
The truth is that life isn’t all about statistics so much as it is about taking the first steps towards what you need to accomplish. And here’s what I’ve discovered: Statistical improbabilities can be thwarted by creating attainable goals, and no one should really tell you what you’re able to accomplish, even if it’s meant as sound advice. If you want to be an actor, for example, go for it. Maybe you won’t make a living from it, at least at first, but there are a lot of positive benefits from developing acting skills. Learning how to perform onstage can help boost your confidence, enhance your creativity, help you develop empathy for others, and provide a safe space to explore different emotional states. Above all, if it’s something you enjoy, keep at it, and ignore the naysayers who believe it won’t benefit you in the long run.
This year I’m committed to finishing my Distinguished Toastmasters Award, and the end is almost in sight with only a few more exercises to go before completing the process. Never mind the fact that I’ll be in the 1% of all Toastmasters who complete this journey; the main goal is to become an outstanding professional speaker, not to worry about the rarity of the circumstances or whether I can turn this into a full-time career. The point is to turn those chances you take in whatever career you choose into attainable goals that you can follow. I wish you well on your journey.
Freedman on the Go 