Not a Backup Plan

Not Someone's Backup Plan

I was once given a thank you card during a show from a director that simply said these words:

“Alyssa, thanks for being our backup plan.”

Though no harm was intended by this person I am sure of it, those words stung. As a swing, I had worked my butt off to prepare for multiple roles that I was never guaranteed to go on for. Though I was grateful for the work and know you can learn from any process, being just a “backup plan” was not my intention or goal.

Don't get me wrong, I have made a great career out of being an understudy, swing, and cover, and I know that it takes a special person to be able to pull those titles off with grace under pressure. I also am not saying that being the 2nd or 3rd choice is a bad thing. There have been times when I was told from a creative that I was literally the 3rd person they had offered a role to, and you know what? That didn't matter to me because in the end I still got to do the show. This is not about being an alternate, but rather the words “backup plan” and what they mean. 

In life, you never want to be someone's "backup plan." Not in your career, and certainly not in your dating life. If you follow me on social media, you know I am very careful with my words. I don't often share super vulnerable posts, but this past year I have realized the impact that honesty and vulnerability can have. 

Friends, my mantra for 2021 is to never be someone's backup plan. Not in my career, not in my dating life, not with friendships, not ever. We only get one life to live, and who wants to sit around waiting to get used as the second option?! 

How this came to be: 
When I got back to Atlanta after Christmas break, I came across that thank you card and read those words again. They still stung and had as much impact as they did the first day I opened the card and read them for the first time. I had been trying to choose my "word" for 2021, and instantly realized that instead of having a "word" for this year, I instead had a new mantra:

"I will no longer be someone's backup plan." 

Now, call it luck, call it fate, whatever you want to call it, but the very next day I got an e-mail offering me a job that completely shook my world and is now very quickly changing the course of my life this year. The very day that I decided to no longer be an alternate in life was the very day that I got offered a dream job that I have been trying to get for YEARS. 

Friends, I know the beginning of 2021 has already looked pretty bleak and not much different than 2020, but trust that when you choose to take charge of your life like never before, amazing things happen. Let go of the fear and live your truth. Walk out in faith and trust that good things will happen. Here's to a brighter year ahead. 

XOXO,
Alyssa