One of the hardest obstacles to overcome when performing is nervousness.
The older I get, the more I realize that it's vanity that activates these nerves, and that's not a trait I want to uphold. The dictionary describes vanity as undue pride in one's self or appearance. While it's not easy to get up in front of an audience and throw off concerns like "Do I look ok?" or "Will I meet their expectations?", the irony is that the more I worry, the worse I play.
I recently watched Oprah Winfrey interview the former actor Michael J. Fox. Suffering with Parkinson's Disease, Michael's limbs jerked and twitched as if, as he described it, a rambunctious child was climbing all over him. It was difficult not to get distracted by his constant motion, but that didn't diminish the power of what he said.
The words I remember most came when Michael described how the disease gave him a new perspective. He is now aware of what is important, and his life began to improve the day he realized he needed to throw vanity out the window.
If a performer loves what he is doing, it means that he has found his talent. People want to be captivated, and it is the presentation of that talent they come to see. Vanity only blocks talent and ruins an otherwise great performance, whether it's for an audience of one or ten million.
The older I get, the more I realize that it's vanity that activates these nerves, and that's not a trait I want to uphold. The dictionary describes vanity as undue pride in one's self or appearance. While it's not easy to get up in front of an audience and throw off concerns like "Do I look ok?" or "Will I meet their expectations?", the irony is that the more I worry, the worse I play.
I recently watched Oprah Winfrey interview the former actor Michael J. Fox. Suffering with Parkinson's Disease, Michael's limbs jerked and twitched as if, as he described it, a rambunctious child was climbing all over him. It was difficult not to get distracted by his constant motion, but that didn't diminish the power of what he said.
The words I remember most came when Michael described how the disease gave him a new perspective. He is now aware of what is important, and his life began to improve the day he realized he needed to throw vanity out the window.
If a performer loves what he is doing, it means that he has found his talent. People want to be captivated, and it is the presentation of that talent they come to see. Vanity only blocks talent and ruins an otherwise great performance, whether it's for an audience of one or ten million.
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