Given Circumstances
[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Imagination Part 2: Prompts]
In the previous two chapters, I discussed imagination and Stanislavski’s belief in its power to motivate us and move us to action. He believed this would only be the case if our imaginings were actively pursued, coherent and grounded in reality. Stanislavski made it clear that the use of imagination was only effective for developing a believable character (or, in our case, a future goal) if imagined events were achievable. This is where the idea of given circumstances comes in.
In the theatre, given circumstances means “the story of the play, its facts, events, epoch, time and place of action, conditions of life, the actors’ and regisseur’s interpretation, the mise- en- scene, the production, the sets, the costumes, properties, lighting and sound effects, — all the circumstances that are given to an actor to take into account as he creates his role.” (Constantin Stanislavski, An Actor Prepares)
Given circumstances are the background and context of any story. If we apply the above quotation to life, we can define our given circumstances as anything that describes who we are and what we can do. For example:
If we are to imagine and pursue a chosen future for ourselves, we need to have a strong sense of what that could be, so that we can work towards it. However, as Stanislavski notes above, it is also important to have a strong sense of our capabilities and our resources, so we know how to use these to move from where we are to where we want to be.
This will give us perspective as we wield our imaginations and say “What if I were to do this or become that?”. As well as the vision of ourselves as the character who has achieved our goals, it is important to know who we are here and now. Understanding the differences between the two will allow us to plot a course between one and the other, grounded in who we are now and guiding us to our goals.
“Every invention of the actor’s imagination must be thoroughly worked out and solidly built on a basis of facts. It must be able to answer all the questions (when, where, why, how) that he asks himself when he is driving his inventive faculties on to make a more and more definite picture of a make-believe existence…
In the previous two chapters, I discussed imagination and Stanislavski’s belief in its power to motivate us and move us to action. He believed this would only be the case if our imaginings were actively pursued, coherent and grounded in reality. Stanislavski made it clear that the use of imagination was only effective for developing a believable character (or, in our case, a future goal) if imagined events were achievable. This is where the idea of given circumstances comes in.
In the theatre, given circumstances means “the story of the play, its facts, events, epoch, time and place of action, conditions of life, the actors’ and regisseur’s interpretation, the mise- en- scene, the production, the sets, the costumes, properties, lighting and sound effects, — all the circumstances that are given to an actor to take into account as he creates his role.” (Constantin Stanislavski, An Actor Prepares)
Given circumstances are the background and context of any story. If we apply the above quotation to life, we can define our given circumstances as anything that describes who we are and what we can do. For example:
- Where we live
- Our age and gender
- Our cultural background
- Our education and training
- Our working life
- Our financial resources
- Our personal life history
- Our relationships and social support network
- Our character with all of its strengths and weaknesses
- Our physical capabilities
- Our beliefs and values
Given circumstances and the Magic If
“[The power of if] depends not only on its own keenness, but also on the sharpness of outline of the given circumstances.” (Ibid)If we are to imagine and pursue a chosen future for ourselves, we need to have a strong sense of what that could be, so that we can work towards it. However, as Stanislavski notes above, it is also important to have a strong sense of our capabilities and our resources, so we know how to use these to move from where we are to where we want to be.
This will give us perspective as we wield our imaginations and say “What if I were to do this or become that?”. As well as the vision of ourselves as the character who has achieved our goals, it is important to know who we are here and now. Understanding the differences between the two will allow us to plot a course between one and the other, grounded in who we are now and guiding us to our goals.
Fundamental questions
One way to identify your given circumstances is to ask yourself some fundamental questions. Stanislavski describes this need in relation to imagination:“Every invention of the actor’s imagination must be thoroughly worked out and solidly built on a basis of facts. It must be able to answer all the questions (when, where, why, how) that he asks himself when he is driving his inventive faculties on to make a more and more definite picture of a make-believe existence…
[An actor] must feel the challenge to action physically as well as intellectually because the imagination, which has no substance or body, can reflexively affect our physical nature and make it act…If you…do anything, mechanically, without fully realizing who you are, where you came from, why, what you want, where you are going, and what you will do when you get there, you will be acting without imagination. That time, whether it be short or long, will be unreal, and you will be nothing more than a wound-up machine, an automaton.” (Ibid)
This quote speaks to the value of making one’s imaginings more solid by working out the practical details of how they could come to be and what they are. This applies whether one is imagining a “make-believe existence” or a real future state of being for oneself.
Stanislavski explicitly refers to the fundamental questions one should be able to answer:
Stanislavski also indicates various ways that the same fundamental questions can be asked to elicit different information. I’ve added a couple of questions that make sense when we are talking about our own future goals rather than a fictional character.
In other parts of his writings, Stanislavski doubles down on “Why”, indicating the importance of really digging into this question. “Why” points to the psychological objectives underpinning our actions. This connects to another problem-solving technique called the “5 Why’s”: every time you answer a “Why”, ask it again to find out more. This may seem like an annoyingly incessant childish practice. That is because it is about connecting us to child-like curiosity and determination to find out more about the world and ourselves, so that we can grow.
“Why” can also be asked about any of the other questions. For example, Why are you where you are? Why do you want what you want?
“How” is also an especially important question for moving us to action. It considers the steps that will take us from where we are to where we want to be.
All of these questions can and should be asked repeatedly of ourselves, as our given circumstances change, and our own actions change things. Our goals may also change and require more reflection to understand the given circumstances of our new ambitions.
The document about your given circumstances is a valuable resource to help you plan how to move from where you are towards your goals. For example, how your current given circumstances need to change to become the given circumstances of your goal state. The document is also a useful tool for reflection in the future about what has changed in your life.
To define a new path, we need to be able to imagine it. But we also need to see how to get there, and to believe that it is a real possibility. To do this, we need to get into the practical details of what it looks like. We also need to have clarity about who, where and why we are now, so that we understand what we need to do to move forward. Some things will be more challenging because of who we are and some will be less. We will be more effective if we know our strengths and limitations.
In the next chapter, I consider the last of the Intellect tools: Units and Objectives. These define the specific waypoints that we need to reach to achieve our goals.
This quote speaks to the value of making one’s imaginings more solid by working out the practical details of how they could come to be and what they are. This applies whether one is imagining a “make-believe existence” or a real future state of being for oneself.
Stanislavski explicitly refers to the fundamental questions one should be able to answer:
- When
- Where
- Why
- How
Stanislavski also indicates various ways that the same fundamental questions can be asked to elicit different information. I’ve added a couple of questions that make sense when we are talking about our own future goals rather than a fictional character.
- Who are you?
- Who do you want to be?
- Where do you come from?
- Where are you going?
- Why are you here?
- What do you want?
- What will you do when you get there?
In other parts of his writings, Stanislavski doubles down on “Why”, indicating the importance of really digging into this question. “Why” points to the psychological objectives underpinning our actions. This connects to another problem-solving technique called the “5 Why’s”: every time you answer a “Why”, ask it again to find out more. This may seem like an annoyingly incessant childish practice. That is because it is about connecting us to child-like curiosity and determination to find out more about the world and ourselves, so that we can grow.
“Why” can also be asked about any of the other questions. For example, Why are you where you are? Why do you want what you want?
“How” is also an especially important question for moving us to action. It considers the steps that will take us from where we are to where we want to be.
All of these questions can and should be asked repeatedly of ourselves, as our given circumstances change, and our own actions change things. Our goals may also change and require more reflection to understand the given circumstances of our new ambitions.
Exercise: What are your given circumstances?
Use the questions above to define your given circumstances. These will probably be lengthy and varied, so create a document and note your answers. This does not need to be an essay; noting keywords that you can refer to later is all that is necessary. As a guide, you may want to answer the following questions about yourself:- Who am I?
- What is important to your identity? What do you care about?
- Significant events and people in your life, past and present
- Personal characteristics, strengths and weaknesses
- Physical traits
- Beliefs and values
- Education
- Working life
- Cultural background
- Accomplishments
- Disappointments
- Where am I?
- Where do you live? In a small town, big town or countryside? Which country? How do you feel about it?
- What are your personal spaces like?
- When am I?
- What is the year and season? How do you feel about it? What has changed in the world and in your world in your lifetime?
- When are you in your life? Are you just beginning, in middle age, or feeling old? Why? How do you feel about it?
- What do I want in life?
- Do you have any ambitions, for yourself or others? Think of both large and small ambitions in the short and long timescale.
- Are there things that you don’t want to change?
The document about your given circumstances is a valuable resource to help you plan how to move from where you are towards your goals. For example, how your current given circumstances need to change to become the given circumstances of your goal state. The document is also a useful tool for reflection in the future about what has changed in your life.
Exercise: Future given circumstances
Now use the questions above to define a possible future state that you can imagine being in. As with the previous exercise, it is useful to create a document where you can note key points. This allows you to keep track of your thoughts, and refer back to the exercise in the future, as your ideas about possible future states are realised or change.- Who am I?
- Who are you in this future state?
- What has changed from your previous answer?
- What will you have accomplished?
- What do I want?
- Make this more specific than the answer in the previous exercise, based on the future state you have identified.
- Why do I want it?
- Why do you want this future state? What is the underlying reason, if any?
- What are the stakes?
- Where am I?
- Where are you in this future state? Is it the same location that you are now?
- When am I?
- When do you think you might reach this future state? What is a likely timeline, if you started working at it today?
- How will I get there?
- What steps do you need to take to get to this future state? What needs to change?
- What must you overcome to get what you want?
What is the point?
Even in everyday life, if we aren’t present as we go about our activities, life can seem more and more unreal, we become less connected to reality and less able or willing to influence it and carve out our own paths. Like a machine, we end up following a set, arbitrary path - the easier path before us. If we want to be masters of our own fate and to create a life that we find satisfying and accomplished, the easy path that life presents does not often take us there.To define a new path, we need to be able to imagine it. But we also need to see how to get there, and to believe that it is a real possibility. To do this, we need to get into the practical details of what it looks like. We also need to have clarity about who, where and why we are now, so that we understand what we need to do to move forward. Some things will be more challenging because of who we are and some will be less. We will be more effective if we know our strengths and limitations.
In the next chapter, I consider the last of the Intellect tools: Units and Objectives. These define the specific waypoints that we need to reach to achieve our goals.
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