In the Spotlight

 Take away the adoring fans, the band, the back up singers, the haute couture costume and what do you have? A sea of eyes looking back at you in silence.
And that's never a good thing.
Eyes demand a lot from you. They look at you in expectation, they can beseech you, and you can see the dare within them. Eyes can look at you in sympathy, even with pity, but those same eyes can glare right at you filled with malice.
And that's without you even saying one word or even singing one note. You hear about the white hot glare of the spotlight, but no one ever warns you about the ice cold emptiness that stops your heart and fills it with dread as all those eyes look at you with anticipation. The christians had a better chance with the lions than you do when facing an audience. At least the lions appreciated your sacrifice.

Glossophobia is the correct term for speech anxiety, or the fear of public speaking. It sounds so soft and silly, but it gives no inclination of the sheer terror it can induce. I've watched the most accomplished and well spoken people reduced to tears at the thought of public speaking. I cringed while watching great men of science and letters stumble and stammer their way through the presentation of a grant proposal. I've covered my eyes when an ill prepared elected official gets nailed to the wall during a press conference all because they didn't know what to expect, or even worse, they didn't care. I've smiled benignly while a celebrity (actor/singer/writer/producer/musician/composer/athlete) mangles their way through an acceptance speech at an awards ceremony, or worse yet, say they didn't prepare anything because they didn't expect to win. Why is it that highly functioning human beings, people who are acknowledged to be at the peak of their game- top of their field- pinnacle of their success, cannot seem to be able to put two words together in a comprehensible pattern without cue-cards or a teleprompter. Even people who's words are their livelihood stumble right out of the starting gate. Not everyone mind you, but a growing number of them just the same.

There are tricks you can use to dispel your fears, some old, some new. Some created with science and testing, others used by vaudevillians and traveling show carnies. Some work, some don't, and others just make it worse.

RICHARD GILMORE: Has anyone ever told you to picture the audience in their underwear?

RORY GILMORE: Yes.
RICHARD GILMORE: Don't do it. I tried it once and had nightmares for weeks. Bulgarians in Speedos.

So, despite all the warnings, the fears, the apprehension, and several missteps you've agreed to jump into the spotlight and step up to the microphone. Will you fear knocking the podium over? Getting feedback from the Mic and piercing your audience's eardrums with the shriek? Fainting? Throwing up? Realizing this was a huge mistake? Or will you swallow your bile and just open your mouth? Sometimes the spotlight can be the most rewarding experience of your life. Whether it's a speech, a question and answer session, therapy, or even just some karaoke after work with some friends, taking that spotlight can change your life. You can only be a 'spotlight virgin' once in your life, after that initial leap it's all downhill from there. You can look back and question your fears, why it was seemingly indomitable, why it raised your blood pressure? You lived through it and more than likely succeeded with flying colors. But it was still about those eyes and faces looking back at you. Did you give them the power over you, or did you stand your ground and achieve your objective?

Sometimes the spotlight can be the doorway to your future, and sometimes it's just a glare.
You choose.