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No stranger to the stage, Yvette Parsons is an Auckland based actor and playwright. A child of the sixties, she developed her own style early in life.

Her father was a sailor, her mother pretended to be a witch, and Yvette has always shamelessly been Yvette.

Not only a regular on the stage, Yvette has also had a strong career on the screen, starring in shows from Shortland Street to the recently released Educators. 

Ahead of the new season of The Blind Date Project at Silo Theatre, we asked Yvette what advice she’d give her younger self and here are her five life lessons:

Shake off the pressure to excel

You’re not in this world to excel at anything. Human life shouldn’t be reduced to having to be seen to excel in anything. Shake off the pressure to do so.

People who undermine you are merely malicious and diabolical - they have reasons of their own. Be wary of ever wondering if they’re right!

Be shamelessly yourself

You have your own unique way of looking at the world and your own unique sense of humour.  So too will you have your own unique experiences of life, which will give you kernels of insight into why life feels the way it does.

Yvette Parsons - supplied.

These are kernels of truth that you’ll value, and store away for the time when you do want to use them to create characters, stories or work of some kind. You really don’t have to fit into anyone’s description or expectations about who you are. Be yourself, shamelessly, shamelessly.

You really don’t have to fit into anyone’s description or expectations about who you are. Be yourself, shamelessly, shamelessly.

Mind your bullies

Try to get a rest from the slavery of schedules. Get off the treadmill as often as you can. Sometimes when you think you’re going in the complete opposite direction to where you want to be, that’s when the magic happens and you discover the good stuff.

Get in touch with your intuition and listen to it. Listen to your gut feelings. Your intuition really is your guiding light in those times when you’re feeling lost or in danger.

Life experience is everything

In this world, it may seem there are people who will seek to undermine your confidence. Untangle yourself from this. Dismantle any feelings of unworthiness that you might have inherited from your family or your culture that has been woven into your beliefs. 

This judgement, shaming or punishment will waste a lot of your precious time playing the disempowered one - for absolutely no good reason. Cut it out. Who wants to live like that, bound to that way of being in the world, measuring and judging yourself against others? Remember you are worthy of the generosity of life! And if you’re going to find your fire, you’ll find it when you’re good and ready.

Laughter on the way 

Know that there are marvellous experiences ahead, wonderful friends and absolutely enormous amounts of laughter to be had.  

See Yvette Parsons in Silo Theatre’s The Blind Date Project at Q Theatre, 29 August – 21 September 2019 Silotheatre.co.nz/the-blind-date-project