5-minute read.
Do you want to be your greatest self, and not just default to living an average life out of fear of failure? If so, you'll need to overcome performance anxiety.
And you may be one of the rare people reading this who thinks you don't have performance anxiety, but If so, I'd have to wonder if you're pushing yourself hard enough? Literally everyone who cares about what they do has performance anxiety sometimes. I know many top performers, and they all have performance anxiety. Even superstars like Serena Williams, Taylor Swift, and Emma Stone have all said they have had bouts of near crippling anxiety before having to perform in public. So truly it's nothing to be embarrassed of. If you are trying to be great at something, eventually if you're lucky you'll have to perform it at a level that will put you face to face with those wonderful nerves.
The fact is:
One of the biggest things that holds people back is the fear to perform in public—which usually means performing under pressure, in front of people who matter.
No matter how you look at it, if you want to shine your light as brightly as possible in this world, maybe as a speaker, businessperson, professor, actor, author, musician, or athlete, you’ll be asked to do it in front of people. Sometimes they will be judging your abilities, but often they're really rooting for you. So you get to choose—will you be scared the rest of your life, or will you overcome and be great? The choice is yours.
If you chose to be great—awesome! Keep reading.
On a personal level, I am an overcomer of this. As a kid, I was pretty afraid of public speaking. Sometimes I’d feel ok, but other times I’d be so tight with nerves. In college, the same thing happened in a public speaking class. But after some experience and research, I turned a corner. I became someone who was repeatedly requested as a return speaker in front of large crowds both at churches and in corporate settings such as Microsoft. Below is how you can overcome too—I guarantee it! You just need to do these steps.
Disclaimer: None of this means the nerves will completely disappear. They probably won’t. In fact, you probably don't want them to. Nerves are a natural juicing to be harnessed for good. It just takes courage and resolve to know how to do it, and trust that you will be able to leverage any nervous energy for your highest benefit.
If you're prepared to have courage and resolve to be a winner—perfect! Keep reading.
Nervous energy is energy, it pushes you to prepare better and gives extra adrenaline that can serve as super-energy when performing in public. Many top businesspeople, actors, soldiers, and athletes have overcome debilitating nervous energy by learning how to harness it for good. Here's how:
1, Take Small Steps: Big changes can feel overwhelming. Start with small, daily habits, like 2-minutes of visualization each day to build consistency. Visualization is one of the best ways to shift your trajectory. Visualize yourself performing your task at a high level. Let yourself feel the nerves in your mind, and perform through them in your imagination. It actually rewires your brain just as if it were real (because to the brain it is real). When the nerves hit when you're actually doing the task physically, you’ll find a strange peace and confidence. This one step has really helped me and so many others immensely.
Quote: “I visualize every point, every match. The more I focus, the better I feel while playing, and the better I perform.” —Novak Djokovic, Tennis Player
2. Mental Rehearsal with Writing and Audio: Along with visualizing, write out how you want to perform. Record an audio of yourself describing your ideal performance and listen to it before the big moment. This will reinforce positive thoughts and help rewire your brain. I’ve done this many times—it works.
Quote: “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” —John Wooden, Basketball Coach
3. Know Your Purpose: Do the opposite of what many might think, instead of making it about you, make it about others. Retreating inward and being self focused only holds you back. Make eye contact with the audience, and engage them in what you're doing. This not only brings you back to the moment, it helps you remember why you are doing the thing you're doing. A short mantra like, “I’m helping a lot of people right now,” or "I am entertaining a lot of people right now" can help take the focus off of you and put it on the benefit of those you're performing for. This has been hugely helpful for me—maybe the single most impactful strategy I've used.
Quote: “Strive not just to be a success, but to be of value.” —Albert Einstein, Inventor
4. Use Cues Instead of Internal Focus: Pre-set cues help shift your attention from nervous thoughts. In sports, focus on specific actions like footwork or tracking the ball. In public speaking, take a moment to smile and pause while looking at the audience. When I played baseball in school and would get nervous and tight—focusing on watching the ball all the way to the bat or my mitt kept me refocused on the game and out of my head.
Quote: "You have to focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase.” —Denzel Washington, Actor
5. Release Adrenaline Through Action: Many speakers and athletes use movement to release tension before performing. Jumping, running, or doing quick sprints helps release the nervous energy. Once you start in a more relaxed state, it’s easier to stay relaxed.
Quote: “Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.” —Joe Rogan, Comedian and Athlete
6. Get an Accountability Partner: Find someone you trust to be an accountability partner, like a teammate or coworker. Having someone to check in with before big moments—whether through visualization or prayer—helps immensely. I’ve done this in small church groups, and it’s one of the most powerful tools you can use.
Quote: “Accountability breeds response-ability.” —Stephen Covey, Author
7. Let Go of Perfection: Perfection is unrealistic, even for professionals. Mistakes are part of the process. In public speaking, a little glitch or laugh can bring a moment of genuineness that re-engages the audience. I once lost my train of thought during a corporate talk, made a joke, and the whole room was back at ease.
Quote: “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” —Michael Jordan, Basketball Player
8. Reassess the Goals: Shift your focus from outcomes like “winning” to process-oriented goals that build your growth, such as staying relaxed or focusing on execution. For me, when public speaking, I learned to become present while speaking, and being sure to speak slower, smile more, and take pauses. In athletics, slowing down mentally and becoming present in action can be powerful. Your goal is to get continually better, that's the goal. Ironically, as you do this, you will also accomplish more winning.
Quote: “You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller, but by making yourself bigger." —John Maxwell, Author
9. Prepare Note Cards and Ideas: Have a backup plan to release tension without appearing off-balance. For speaking, keep a few humorous lines or note cards ready in case you lose track. For athletes, having mental or written reminders and affirmations about your goals can help refocus during breaks.
Quote: “It's the repetition of affirmations and ideas that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." —Muhammad Ali, Boxer
10. Trust the Process: Consistency is key. These strategies will work for you, no doubt, but you need to trust the process and stick with it. Top athletes, military leaders, businesspeople, and actors have all used these techniques to overcome nerves. So can you.
Quote: “Discipline equals freedom.” —Jocko Willink, Navy SEAL