Command The Brain….Command The Stage

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In life, we get nervous, right? Especially when we’re not quite sure of oursleves. I’m a performer. I used to get so sick to my stomache everytime I had to play a show in the beginning of my career. I was excited. I was nervous, I was scared….I mean, the gamete of emotions take their toll. I believe anyone who has ever had to perform or speak in front of people can understand this. I’ve heard many things about speaking, one being that folks would rather die than speak publically. Sounds like true fear. So, how do we overcome this fear?

You know, I still get that sometimes when I have to speak. I’ve taken every public speaking class, many business classes, and know lots of people. But I still seem to get semi edgy getting up and using my words. (I no longer get as stressed out performing, so that’s a plus). Anyway, but speaking publically? Yeah, I can still make myself a wreck. Well, because I have to speak in front of many people in a business setting, I’ve been working pretty closely with Ellen Dunnigan from Accent On Business, learning how to turn my anxiety into positive energy. The most important things she taught me were these six simple, yet profound words:

“Command the brain, command the stage.”

In other words…know your purpose. Know WHY you are up there and why YOU are the expert. Command the stage. I think it’s interesting that she chose those words because two weeks earlier, my band, WNMEX was playing at Local’s Only. My dear friend, Clint Walker, who has been an avid fan and devout show-goer came up to me after our set and said “you guys commanded the stage.” We did. But what I noticed, is like Ellen said, it was in my head. I KNEW what we had to give was raw, passionate, and original. I knew my lines, I knew my words, I knew to watch my drummer and guitarist at the parts that in the past, had been iffy…awesome if we were lucky. Now, there is no luck involved, It’s truly about being in that frame of mind to give, because you know what the heck it’s about up there in front of your audience.

There are always growing pains in any venture, be it business, music, or speaking. We must command our brains. We must command our heads in order to truly FEEL and BELIEVE in what we do. Our audience deserves it. Our clients deserve it. I encourage you to embrace this saying.