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Tags: self improvement, self esteem, how to overcome nervousness
 “So who’s gonna go first?” I can still remember the time when I was in grade school and we had this activity wherein we had to deliver a speech in front of our classmates. That was our activity in overcoming nervousness. Since nobody has the guts to volunteer who’s gonna go first, the teacher just decided for us to draw lots; so no choice—we’re going to stand in front of everybody and deliver our speech.
Overcoming nervousness especially stage fright was one of my fears and I was so jittery at that time. The kid in me was secretly praying to high heavens above that I’ll just pick a higher number wishing to gain some insights at my classmates speaking before my turn will come up.
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Well, what do you know—it turned out that I got…ta-dah! Yes, you guessed it uh-oh—number 1, ironically. Okay, to cut the story short, my speech was terrible, I was terrible. And thus I came to realize that I’m not the only one struggling how to overcome nervousness. But I charged it to experience and I learned a lot.
So what to do if you have an important presentation coming up? Or just a blind date, or even a speech you got to deliver in class? Sure, you don’t want to screw up like I did—eons ago. Overcoming nervousness is preventable. The key here is preparation. If you have a big presentation or speech, or anything which requires you to “stand and deliver” in front of an audience, it’s best to come prepared with your notes, memorize your lines and if possible, come to the venue beforehand and practice your blocking and rehearse your lines.
Then, to help you in overcoming nervousness and make you calm down, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” So what if indeed, you’ll screw up big time—it’s no biggie. Sure, momentarily, you’ll feel embarrassed, but what’s REALLY the worst that can happen to you in the near future? Nothing much really; it’s not as if it’s a matter of life and death.
Overcoming nervousness is also about realizing that people don’t really give a damn about what you do. Yes, the whole world doesn’t revolve around you and nobody really cares if you got a pimple on your forehead. So, you better do your own thing and give it your best shot! If you only think about what they’re going to say, then you’ll feel conscious and intimidated and you won’t be able to give your best performance ever.
Yes, give it all like there’s no tomorrow that’s the mantra for overcoming nervousness. I wish I told this myself when I was in grade school delivering my speech…maybe next time.
About the author
The author of this article, Amy Twain, is a Self Improvement Coach who has been successfully coaching and guiding clients for many years. Amy recently published a highly successful home study course on how to boost your Self Esteem. Learn more about this Quick-Action Plan and have a Fabulous Self Esteem.
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