Being Excited About Fear

Stage fright, we have all experienced it at one time or another. Perhaps it was the first time you had to speak in front of a class room, or perhaps your boss asked you to give a presentation at work, or perhaps somehow you just wound up the center of attention. No matter what the reason, we have all experienced that terror inducing feeling that leaves our palms sweating, our hands shaking, and the butterflies in our stomach threatening to escape.

While we all may have experienced stage fright at a time in our lives, there are many of us form who the fear of public speaking hasn't gone away. In fact, it has been said that this fear affects as much at 75% of people. Even famed comedian Jerry Seinfeld talked about the fact that there are more people with the fear of public speaking than the fear of death, joking that many people would prefer death over speaking in front of a crowd.

With such a widespread fear, should we even bother trying? Of course we should! You wouldn't be reading this article if you didn't believe that, and I sure as heck wouldn't bother writing it if I didn't believe the same.

So what is the point I'm trying to make? The point is this, that the majority of us have a weakness that can easily be turned into a strength, and that is exactly what I am going to show you how to do today. This is a trick I picked up years ago at a NLP seminar, and I've also heard it mentioned that actors are known to use it as well. What we are going to do is turn our fear into excitement. Now I know that might sound a little weird, but keep reading and you won't be disappointed.

Have you ever observed the physical sensations you feel when you are afraid? How about when you are excited? They're very similar right? That is because fear and excitement both trigger your adrenal glad to release a chemical compound called Catecholamines into your bloodstream, essentially causing what is known as the "Fight or Flight Response", which is the source of our nervous and excited energies. Really, in my opinion, the only difference between the two emotions is in how we imagine the outcome of events to turn out.

So what if they are similar, you might ask? Ah ha, but that's the trick! Their similarity can be used to our benefit! The next time you are in a situation where you are feeling nervous of speaking in public, pretend instead that you are excited to speak. Just take that nervous energy and turn it into excited energy, and then apply it to your speech. Not only will you feel more confident while you speaking, but your excitement will also show, making your speech seem that much more passionate and engaging, and who knows, you might even have some fun!

Now, I'm not saying this is an end all solution to our fears of public speak, that will take time and practice, but what I am saying is that we don't have to be victims to our fears. So the next time you feel afraid, be excited about it.