My heart was pounding, my knees were shaking. I forgot a few lines. I kept going.
I was sharing my first spoken word poetry piece in front of a group of people I didn’t know. Why?
Years ago, I would attend a monthly event sponsored by the Pan African Arts Society called Cafe Nuba. It was an event where artists would perform their prose or poetry on stage. I loved the art form. It was a beautiful way to share your voice and your story. I watched the performers with respect and admiration. Something inside me said, I want to do that.
I wrote one piece that I thought I could perform. Then I stuffed the little bits of paper it was written on into a notebook and hid it away.
I came across these sheets of paper a few years ago and thought, maybe I could do a video of it. It still didn’t feel right.
A few weeks ago, a Meetup group was started for aspiring artists, writers, musicians, and poets and the first meeting was an open mic event.
I decided to attend and knew it was time to bring this piece back to life through performing it live for the first time.
I practiced and practiced. The day came. My name was called. I stood up, shared a bit of background and then began. My voice felt shaky, my nerves on alert.
One line at a time.
I finished and heard applause. I did it.
Performing is something that I am drawn to but it is also something that terrifies me. We are often afraid of the things we most desire, as they usually require us stepping out of our comfort zones.
Once we do, we discover how courageous we are and we often ponder, hmmm, what’s next?
Each step emboldens us. Each step begins with a decision.
What is something that has made you think, man, I want to do that! What is one step you can take today to move in that direction?
Hint, start small – join a Meetup, start practicing, reach out to someone, etc., and then give yourself a deadline. Putting a date on your action is important so that it doesn’t become one more thing on your list that just stays on your list. The idea is to keep renewing your list because you keep marking things off your list!
If you would like to start stepping up and stepping out of your comfort zone to truly live a life you love, set up your free session with me.
To facing your fears,
Kori
Check out the video of my first spoken word poetry performance!