When you express your true self in performance, people are drawn to that. Would you rather watch a technically perfect performance or a heartfelt and honest expression of someone truly loving what they do?

"This is terrifying; Why am I doing this to myself." Why ARE you doing this to yourself? Take a moment to connect with your bigger goals for your creativity. How is this performance leading you closer to that?

Aside from dealing with the negative thoughts that pop up, you can help the positive ones along by practicing purposeful visioning. Imagine yourself on the stage, delivering a successful performance.

PREPARE YOUR MATERIAL

Fear about an upcoming performance can sometimes lead to paralyzing inaction; we procrastinate in preparing our material because we somehow reason that if we don't pay any attention to the performance, it will go away!

Well, like an ostrich poking its head in the sand, we don't accomplish much that way, and feeling rushed and unprepared will only increase our anxiety!

When you notice you're feeling fearful about the upcoming performance, work through the fear with the suggestions above or with your copy of "Preparing for Performance: An Everyday Artist Guidebook" (details below).

THEN, take action and do everything you CAN do to ensure a successful performance. Action is the quickest way out of anxiety, because when we're focused on our worries we're thinking about the past or the future. When we get down to business and take action, it brings us right back into the present moment. And that's a much nicer place to be.

PREPARE YOUR HEART

"She thinks I'm terrible. He's so bored he's leaving the room. I'll never be able to please these people." Give yourself a rest from the mind reading - there's no way to know what someone else or thinking or feeling. And it's a good thing! What if YOUR thoughts were being flashed at the bottom of the stage like closed captioning?

Instead of focusing on what you imagine people in the audience (or on stage with you) are thinking about you, focus on what you'd like to give them with your performance. Imagine the performance as a way for you to wrap up your most precious gift the expression of your creativity and deliver it from your heart to the heart of each and every person who's there to receive it.

The best part about this is that now the performance IS NOT ABOUT YOU. It's about your gift and doing your best to deliver it. It's about making full use of the gifts you were born with and creating an experience that other people can take away and cherish.

So, whatever "performance" means to you in your creative life, prepare your body with good self-care, prepare your mind to let go of fearful self-doubt, prepare your material so you feel comfortable and confident, and prepare your heart to give the gift of your creativity.

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