Sometimes, you gotta just go for it.

Last month, Dane Cook hosted a virtual table read of the Fast Times at Ridgemont High script to benefit charity, with acting legends like Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts, and Sean Penn. Morgan Freeman served as the narrator.

The youngest person on the call sheet was former Disney star Shia LaBeouf. Of course, Shia is an accomplished writer, performer, and director in his own right, but I like to imagine that, maybe, at least for a moment, he might have been intimidated by the cast and considered playing it safe. But then, he decided to just GO FOR IT.

When the Zoom call performance began, all the other actors were dressed impeccably, sitting in their respective squares. Some of them had clean backdrops, others sat at a desk in their living rooms. And then, there was Shia. Shia is in a truck, sweat dripping from his face and chillin' in neon green sunglasses, and in full character. He played the part of a stoner named Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn's character in the movie). In most table reads, actors sit still and read their lines with feeling, but not necessarily with a performance. This could have gone spectacularly wrong.

Shia delivered every line as if he was really Spicoli. Between lines, he took puffs, wiped his sweat, and looked dazed and confused. He even acted out the scenes, getting out of the truck when his character was kicked out of class. Shia's scene partner, Brad Pitt, broke character, laughing at Shia's antics. The rest of the cast and the people watching at home loved it. Shia's performance went viral.

Maybe you don't have a performance coming up, but it could be a presentation at work, college paper, birthday gift, TikTok dance, marketing plan, or gesture of love, that could really benefit from you just GOING FOR IT. Forget playing it safe. GO ALL OUT!

Sometimes we get caught up taking the past of least resistance. We do the bare minimum because it's usually sufficient. But it's a worthwhile pursuit to recognize where we've gotten lazy, and interrupt that habit with an all-out effort. Make a date night with your significant other unlike anything they've ever experienced. Cook an extravagant dinner for yourself just because. Put in the extra effort to be creative and innovative with your next work project. When you really go for it, your genius might surprise you. #riskeveryday

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Bonus ♣️

You can watch the full replay of the table read here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaZsPh6uyWg&t=1986s