Why Getting NERVOUS is a GOOD Thing!!

Why Getting NERVOUS is a GOOD Thing!!

More people fear public speaking than they do dying.

WHAT?!!!! 

How crazy is that?! I’ll answer that, crazy. Absurd even!

Top Phobias

1. Public Speaking or Stage Freight – 19%
2. Death and End of Life – 16%

At the core, here is why this fear is so prevalent: We fear what others will think of us. 

‘Will I mess up and everyone laugh at me?’ 

‘Will I fall flat on my face when I'm up there?’ 

‘What will others think of me?’

Worst case scenario nerves settle in and overtake us beyond our control! (Or so we think…)

I was sitting front row before I stepped on stage for my first big motivational speaking event with a very very large Fortune 500 Company and a very very large crowd of more than 4,000. 

Yeah, I was nervous. Beyond nervous. 

I had acted my way to this point, pretending that I had given many speeches before. I even went as far as having a friend film me speaking in different outfits in front of an audience of 6 friends. (The camera man made it look like each talk (outfit) was different and there was a sold out audience!)  The beauty of film! ; ) 

Regardless, here I was. About to step on stage and talk for an hour! How was I going to manage these nerves that were bubbling to the surface?!!

I had prepared, so I knew my points, I knew I would be able to at least follow the flow I had set up. But that wouldn’t keep these nerves down. I was done. Toast. Failure surely ensued! 

However, right before I stepped on stage I said to myself 7 times straight under my breathe ‘BRING IT ON NERVES!!’ Over and over again I repeated it as I walked up on stage. And when I got up there, it was on! An hour flew by, I hit every point, every inflection spot, basically everything even better than I could have imagined.

I CRUSHED it! Not just crushed it, DOMINATED it!!

After the talk, the company head guy who had brought me in to speak told me it was the best talk they had in 21 years of doing these large scale events. The best they had ever had! And there were some big big names in the speaking world who had graced the stage before me. 

And what do I attribute the success of the talk to? 

Instead of fearing nervousness as being a bad thing, I embraced my nerves, channeled my nerves, and not only overcame them but used them as a boost to take me to another level even higher that I could have without!

If you don’t feel nervous before doing something important, you are not alive!

1% ACTION

The next time you feel this overwhelming feeling of nerves creeping in, say out loud ‘BRING IT ON NERVES!’ and watch how much of a difference it will make!