Apply the mindset of never blaming the public

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Tim Robbins is best known for starring in one of the most inspirational movies in Hollywood history, The Shawshank Redemption. In the 1994 epic, Robbins stars alongside Morgan Freeman as Andy Dufresne, a man who vehemently claims his innocence after being found guilty of murdering his wife and her lover. The bond between Andy and “Red” (Freeman) spans decades in prison, with a powerful message of hope and resilience.

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Robbins has had an esteemed acting career, including an Oscar, and time behind the camera directing films such as Dead Man Walking, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He is also the founder of an experimental theater group, The Actors Gang, which he founded in 1981. All that to say that Tim Robbins understands the industry. And, not only that, he is someone at the top of his game. There’s a lot to be learned from Robbins’ mindset and approach, but one of his mantras stands out more than most.

Robbins: Never blame the public

Robbins is known for accommodating the diversity of audiences and leaving any difference outside of the theatre. It’s not always an easy choice to honor. In a Substack interview with Matt Taibbi, he expressed concern about the impact of covid measures on the arts, particularly vaccination mandates for the public. At the door, you don’t say you can’t come in, because you haven’t done this or that, he said. I had a problem with that. So I waited until everyone was allowed to enter the theater.

Robbins’ approach fitted into his acting mindset without ever blaming the audience. It’s an unwritten rule that he follows no matter how good or bad a performance goes. In an interview with Traveling Boy, the actor expanded on this philosophy when asked about the validity of actors blaming the audience:

Never assume that someone in the audience had enough money to buy that ticket and assume that because of that they traveled five miles to get here because they couldn’t afford a bus. That’s the respect you owe an audience. You never want to hear that an audience sucks. No. You are nothing. You haven’t met them. You haven’t found a way to tell them a story. Because of our discipline and our approach of how to make it immediate and great for these people, we rarely get a night’s rest.

Tim Robin

An audience’s feedback loop is amplified in theatre. Compared to a movie, where actors can spend months in a studio, surrounded by the crew, with occasional screenings shown to other people, actors in a theater have nowhere to hide. They breathe the same oxygen as the public. Although respect works both ways, Robbins leads the way. And there’s a lot to learn from this simple yet profound approach.

Apply the Tim Robbins Mindset

I learned a lot more about acting in philosophy, psychology, history, and anthropology classes than I ever learned in acting classes.

Tim Robin

The above quote from Robbins highlights the wisdom of the actors. His mantra, never blame the public, can be interpreted in many ways. Above all, it’s about personal responsibility, discipline and a growth mindset. Blaming the audience is a metaphor that goes far beyond theatre. Blaming the audience avoids looking at the actors’ own experience or finding creative ways to improve, and instead projects the blame onto a faceless crowd.

Obviously, studying psychology and philosophy paid off. Robbins’ approach has the hallmarks of Stoicism, in particular the quote from Marcus Aurelius: You have power over your mind and not over external events. Realize this and you will find strength. In the theater of life, blaming the audience creates no opportunity to learn from the audience. What went wrong and what could be done better next time? With metaphor in mind, let’s look at 5 ways to apply mindset to your life.

1. Know that blame has limited value

What areas of life are you tempted to blame others, or life itself, for things that don’t go your way? It’s normal to feel guilty from time to time. We might blame our partner for our emotional ups and downs. The taxman for our poor financial situation. Or our broken alarm clock to wake up late. Whenever you are blamed, you stop taking responsibility and enter a space of learned helplessness.

Blame has limited value. Instead, try to take an approach that always takes your role into account. You can start with small steps. What actions can you take today to make progress in a given situation? You are much more creative than you imagine, and solutions will present themselves. For example, in a relationship, you might see how easily you lose your temper and commit to improving your emotional regulation.

2. Always ask: how can I do better?

Despite Robbins’ career success, note that he doesn’t assume audiences don’t get it. Forgive him for taking such a selfish stance, given his knowledge of the terrain. But instead, Robbins always assumes there’s something he can do better, that it’s not the public misunderstanding. He gives them the benefit of the doubt and doesn’t make assumptions. The beauty of this approach is that it applies to all areas of life.

Say, for example, you’re trying to make a career out of writing. You feel compelled to write and show up every day to put words on the page. But every time you post tumbleweed. One option would be to get bitter and complain about people not getting your job. The other would be to show up every day, eager to look for ways to improve. Can you improve your delivery, your titles? Can you simplify or make your topics more relevant? There is always room for improvement.

3. Don’t take things personally

What I love about Robbins’ approach is that even when he’s not blaming the audience, he’s not sulking. He doesn’t personify their lack of connection, takes it personally and blames himself instead. He sees the situation objectively and analyzes it logically. Certainly, in life, it is difficult not to take certain things personally; rejection hurts, as does not being noticed or forgetting something you care about. But do your best to train your mind not to take it personally.

Notice that Robbins uses the example of someone who has no money to pay for a bus fare? Always give people the benefit of the doubt, show them compassion, and don’t assume or jump to quick conclusions.

Not getting an answer you’d like doesn’t mean you’re a failure or not good enough. It just means that something was wrong, but you have the opportunity to go back, to experiment, to try something new. Remain as compassionate as understanding when going through seeming setbacks and failures is part of the path to success.

4. Be resilient

What’s more important than individual results, the metaphorical audience on any given night is the resilience you develop as you show up, day after day. This is how character develops. By continuing to introduce yourself, you demonstrate that you believe in what you are here to do, even if you are not received as warmly as you would like. You show courage and determination, all traits that lead to success. By not blaming the public, you develop the value of humility, something that will be essential when things finally take off. This point is particularly relevant to the movie that put Robbins on the map, The Shawshank Redemption.

Finding Inspiration in the Robbins Mantra

At spoiler risk (you’ve had enough time to watch now), Andy is the epitome of resilience. Day after day, as the lights go out, he chisels the prison wall with a small rock hammer. Every little bit of hewn stone accumulates. It goes on, year after year after year until it digs a hole big enough to escape.

Using Andy as an example, think how easy it would have been for him to step into a space of blaming the public; the courts, the injustice, the prisoners causing him harm and the people ignoring his pleas of innocence. But he had no choice but to keep going, to believe, to find the energy to chisel, to never lose hope.

There’s a lot of wisdom in Robbins’ modest approach. Blaming the public is the easy way out. By taking responsibility, you’ll be able to adapt a resilient approach to life’s ups and downs, build character along the way, and always strive to do better. You will have days off, that’s for sure. But in the long run, you will move forward, one step (or one stone) at a time.

KEEP READING Achieving Resilience: The Importance of Bouncing Back

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