When she was just 10 years old, she told her family about her desire to become an actress. Her family wasn’t thrilled with the idea especially her father. He didn’t believe in her. He warned her that it’s more possible that she’ll end up behind the counter of a fast-food restaurant than star in a movie.
Emilia Clarke applied in three British drama schools but none of them accepted her application. But her dream to be an actress overcame the pain from the rejections and she did not give up. She continued sending her CV to drama schools while working as a waitress. One day, she had a call from Drama Centre London that she’s in.
She graduated in 2009 and in 2010, Emilia Clarke rented a small apartment with her friends, but like most struggling and aspiring actresses, she also had to work a less desirable jobs in order to make it. Before Emilia Clarke became the mother of dragons in Game of Thrones, she used to work three to six different jobs just to get by.
She didn’t lose hope that one day she will get an interesting offer that will change her life. That day came when her agent called with the exciting news that she landed an Edition for the new HBO show “Game of Thrones.” She only had 24 hours to prepare for the audition if she wanted to get the part.
How did she prepared in that short period of time? Emilia Clarke had to call in sick to her catering job and learned everything she could from Wikipedia about George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Four days later, she got the part of Daenerys Targaryen.
But, what if she actually listened to her father and didn’t try to pursue her dream to be an actress? What if she didn’t believe in herself? Well, her life would be very different right now.
We often allow doubt, insecurities, low self-esteem or other people’s opinions to question our decisions, our abilities and our dreams. People will always point out your flaws and constantly remind you of your failures. They may constantly tell you that you can’t make it, that you’re not good enough, that you are unrealistic to even think about dreaming bigger.
Read: 8 actors who refused to be part of Game Of Thrones and reasons why.
This will make it even harder for you to believe in yourself, but the biggest difference between successful people and unsuccessful ones is the belief that they can achieve their dream. If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, then how will you take the first terrifying step toward making your dream reality?
Believing in yourself does not mean that you won’t face failures, you will, but you will get up and keep going. Once you really believe that you can stand up and fight for your dream, you will find a way to make it work even if the odds of success are against you.
