I Did It, What Are You Gonna Do?

I did it! I actually did it!

And, I was pretty good, too. Or at least some people said I was. After just 15 months of guitar lessons and 6 months of voice/singing lessons, I made my Open Mic debut. I played and sang two songs, Bruce Springsteen's 'Devils & Dust' & 'The Price You Pay.'

When I finished my mini-set, a woman sitting at a table next to ours turned around and said, "you did very well, you would never know you've only been playing for 15 months, great job." She made my night and validated all my hours of practice.

I was actually amazed at how little nervousness I felt last night. I felt a little anxious as I walked into the club early in the evening but never really got nervous. I realized that there were two basic reasons why I felt little nervousness.

The first is that I really felt prepared. I had rehearsed the two songs to the point of knowing the chord changes and the lyrics without needing the lyric/chord sheet that I had on the stand in front of me. So, preparation is key. Preparation creaes confidence. True confidence surpresses any nervousness.

The second thing that prevented debilitating nervousness was my absolute passion and enthusiasm for what I was about to do. I had set a goal to play at an Open Mic from the time I began my guitar lessons 15 months ago. Except my original goal was to do it within 3 years. In August '05, I committed to doing it before the end of the 2005 calendar year.

I wanted to do this more than anything I've wanted to do in a very, very long time. I was ready. I was enthusiastic and looking forward to the night.

So, for all of you who are paralyzed by stage fright and are among those that would rather be in the casket at a funeral than doing the eulogy standing in the front of the casket, the number one way to overcome that fear is preparation. Prepare and practice your material so you know it like the back of your hand.

My wife took some pictures just to prove I actually did it, but if you look at them, you'd never believe I was actually singing because all 8 pictures taken in the 7-8 minutes I was performing all have my mouth closed, or hidden behind the mic. It doesn't look as if I was singing, but I was.

So, now that my Open Mic debut is out of the way, I'm even more enthusiastic about doing it again. I'm ready to make this my #1 hobby. I'm already planning my next event and the songs I want to play.

I fulfilled the goal I set last year that truly seemed like such a long way away when I first got started. But in applying the Japanese concept of Kaizen (continuous improvement), little by little, day-by-day, I saw gradual progress and that kept me going.

I'd be remiss if I didn't challenge each of you, as subscribers to the 'Momentum' e-zine and The Business Achievement Gym community, to reaching the summit of your next hill to conquer. What would it be? Why not honor my achievement, by making a commitment to yourself and decide on a real deadline for that goal you've been putting off? For me? Please?

I look forward to hearing from you at MomentumChallenge@TheAchievementGym.com

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