In Face Off,
the special-effects make-up competition,
the most risky task
to take on
is the head sculpt.
If the entry loses,
the judges will ask who did the head sculpt.
That artist goes home.
If the entry wins,
the judges will award the win
to the artist who completed the head sculpt.
The contestants know this.
In the early stages,
while the contestants work in teams,
the weaker contestants
will do anything
to avoid being the ONE person
responsible for the head sculpt.
The great contestants,
in contrast,
will take responsibility
for the head sculpt.
They’ll hone their craft,
incorporating the judges’ comments/advice,
while competing against a large group.
At the end of the competition,
when the groups of many
have become single contestants,
these great contestants will have gained
much more experience
with this critical component.
They take smaller upfront risks
to mitigate the huge risk
they know they’ll face in the future.
Is it possible for you to take smaller risks now
to avoid having to take the large risks
in the future?