Performance Anxiety


All of us deal with performance anxiety at one time or another. Maybe you have to make a presentation at work, and your palms are sweaty just thinking about it. Or, you've got a test the next day and despite all the time you've spent studying, you're worried about whether you'll pass. You're up late, unable to sleep, worrying about how well you will perform, whether it be during a date, a job interview, or a meeting with family. And many of us, at one time or another, have anxiety dreams that reflect our fears in these areas. 

As a performer, I have TONS of anxiety dreams - mostly, where performances go terribly wrong. 

Sometimes, I show up, and the "stage" is in an odd place. Like here, behind a television: 


Or, it's in the middle of the audience: 


And the audience could care less... 


...AND I do not recognize any of the lyrics to my songs... 


And I'm wearing the wrong shoes. 


I'm totally out of my element. 


And perhaps most importantly, I'm late: 


Time's almost up, and we only just started our first song. 


In the real world, gigs are, by comparison, a piece of cake. 

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