… is only a few days away now. I’ve been prepping with care and leaning into support from my mentors and partners in crime.And I am nervous. The fear says - what if I freeze and embarrass myself again? Making people laugh is good but I’d rather not be the butt of the joke.What I’m not doing :A: Letting the fear sit in the drivers seat and chart the course of my actionsB. Disregarding the fear completely and pretending it’s not realInstead, I’m listening closely and I’ve made a plan. Now, it’s time to test it out. If I notice the fear taking over, I’ll pause and breathe into my belly and hips on stage. I’ll acknowledge what I’m noticing and what I need to do. I might say something like : I’m noticing fear, my throat is feeling contracted so I’m going to pause and take a breath or two. The process of pausing, breathing and naming body sensations has the power to bring me back into presence. I’ll be able to find my way forward from there, one step at a time.I’ve seen my mentors do this successfully. It deepens the quality of the interaction and creates even more connection.Having this tool in my back pocket is reassuring for my younger self who has a story about freeze and being laughed at on stage.Even as I hold my intention to connect and activate the audience, I must rest in the knowledge that whatever happens on Thursday, I can’t possibly fail to learn something new and grow.Pic : Traditional Finnish fire pit
