we have all been nervous and i know that we usually go on what we
believe rather than on what we know. so, i realize that being rational
about our fears of performing are not enough to make us comfortable onstage.
but most of us, who have been performing for awhile also realize that we are
no longer as nervous as we once were. we have also met wonderful performers
who seem to take performing in stride as if, it were nothing.
if you don't prepare and if you take on tasks you shouldn't, you
deserve to be nervous. these are things we can control. beyond these,
there are two contributing factors to nervousness that i see rarely
addressed. one of them is the way we react to being nervous. the usual
approach is denial which, of course, makes us more nervous (to the audience,
this person often appears angry). a less destructive approach is to give it
another name - 'excitement' (this person often appears manic to the
audience). some people just go ahead and admit they are nervous and shake
openly (if they blow it, the audience usually thinks 'aw, that's too bad. at
least, he/she tried'. if they get through it, they become 'the little train
that could'. audiences love the underdog). (there is nothing like 18
holes of golf to get rid of the excess energy that fuels nervousness. you
can substitute any similar activity.)
the other factor in nervousness is expectations. hoping to get
through the performance without a train wreck puts a lot less pressure on a
performer than intending to change the history of music, in one performance,
does. it might seem that i am suggesting that you should not set out to do
your best. on the contrary, i want you to do your best and only your best.
no more. it is the attempt or the hope that we will do better that causes
the problem. do what you take for granted and you will be less likely to
get nervous.
those perfomers who seem to be at home onstage are usually seasoned
performers. they have learned all the lessons. what seperates them from
the rest of us is they know what to expect from themselves. they also know
what not to expect from themselves. because nothing is set in stone, they
are prepared to save a bad performance and, in the same light, they are
prepared to take advantage of that 'something special', should it present
itself.
mike
mike
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