“Fear is when your attention is on yourself. When you can think of yourself as being in service of others, the fear vanishes.” —Shirzad Chamine, author of Positive Intelligence
This quote jumped out at me because it beautifully describes the experience of conquering stage fright.
When I’m giving a speech and I’m thinking about myself, what I want to get out of it, nervousness and anxiety often kick in. I find myself wondering why I ever said yes, why this even matters, couldn’t I have just stayed home? The need I feel to “get something” puts pressure on me and makes me nervous.
When I turn that intention around and think about how I can serve the audience, what someone there may need to hear from me, it transforms the experience. Now it’s not about getting something for myself, it’s about giving to others. And the fear vanishes.
