The first thing,
Always,
Find your breath.
Feel the rhythm of the inhalation followed by the exhalation,
And the exhalation followed by the inhalation.
This rhythm is always there for you.
And like the waves of the ocean,
It is steady and dependable.
Allow your eyes to gently close and feel your body breathe with you.
You can deepen your awareness of your breathing by slightly constricting your throat to mimic the sound of ocean waves.
If you close your ears with your fingers,
You will hear this steady,
Comforting sound inside your body.
Allow it to settle your heartbeat and know that you can practice this anytime,
Anywhere.
Second thing,
You have a superpower.
Your superpower is that you get to choose what you focus on.
We cannot control what thoughts and feelings arise within us,
Nor should we try to.
But we can control which thoughts and feelings we focus upon.
When we perform,
We have a limited amount of mental,
Physical,
And emotional energy.
So we want to learn to use it wisely.
If we think about things we cannot control,
We are wasting that precious energy.
Allow yourself to imagine an upcoming performance.
Notice if there is a change in the rhythm of your breathing or your heart rate.
And if there is,
Simply be aware of it.
At any time,
You can return to a focus on your breath.
Now notice what thoughts,
What voices arise as you think about performing.
These thoughts can be grouped into two categories.
What I can control and what I cannot control.
As you notice the thoughts that come up for you,
Exercise your superpower.
Look at the thought and ask yourself,
Is this something over which I have control?
Here are some things you cannot control.
What if they don't like me?
What if I forget the words?
What if someone in my band messes up?
What if my voice breaks?
What if someone I care about doesn't show up?
What if someone I perceive as important or powerful is in the audience and that makes me feel more nervous?
If the thought that arises is one of these kinds of thoughts,
Decide to release it because it does not serve you and is a waste of your precious energy.
You can do this because of your superpower.
Watch that thought fly away from your body and vanish in a little puff of smoke or float away into the clouds like a balloon.
Sometimes I like to imagine simply setting those unhelpful thoughts behind me and redirecting my attention to the things I can control.
This is your superpower,
So it gets to look like whatever you want.
If the thought that arises is something you can control,
Like something that needs to be addressed or something you can practice and get better at,
Then do that thing and know that you are doing your job.
If the thought that arises feels good and reminds you why you love to perform,
Then allow yourself to embrace that thought,
Enjoy it,
Feel it in your body,
Let yourself smile.
When you are ready,
Imagine standing on stage or waiting backstage before a performance and see yourself exercising your superpower.
Look at the thoughts that come up and ask yourself which category they belong in.
Anytime you think about performing,
Remember the first thing and find your breath.
Then remember the second thing,
That you have a superpower.
And the more you practice it,
The more you practice letting go of the thoughts that do not serve you and gently focusing on the thoughts that do,
You will strengthen and refine that superpower.
If you practice your superpower a little bit every day,
You will find that confronting your fears about performing gets easier and easier because you know what to do with them.
You don't have to run from or try to suppress any thoughts or feelings because you know what to do with the ones that aren't serving you.
Gradually as you practice,
You will have fewer of those thoughts and when they do come up,
They will have very little power over you.
You will even find that you can use the distractions and emotions that arise on stage to sharpen your focus and fuel your performance.
Allow yourself to sit with this awareness for a few minutes,
Breathing into your body and your newfound superpower.
