I am gloating. I am very proud of myself. I felt like a bit of a sham for a while. Here I was trying to teach what I had little faith I could do.
But I did.
Twice.
Twice I went to events alone and survived. For one of them I knew almost no one!
What did I bring with me? These gifts:
- Make your name your password to power. Begin in a neutral position. Sit, lie on the floor, or squat breathing into the wealth of space we know as the pelvic floor. Be empty, be open, be quiet. What is your name? What does it mean? How does that name symbolize the pride you have, the confidence you long for, or the secret self no one knows? Are you a warrior, a helper, an adventurer, a nurturer, a seeker, an intellect, an artist, a free spirit? Pick something that speaks to you and makes you feel strong. From this position of neutral, with only your name to guide you, I want you to role up. Role up into a powerful stance that represents the person you want to be. Make a big gesture, strong legs, big arms. Now say your name. Practice this same thing over and over. Let your body feel guided. Now I want you to mask it. Role up to a open posture and say your name this time only including a hint of the gesture. A turn of the hand, a tilt of the head. Let your body remember that big stance betraying only a shadow of the mighty gesture. Now say your name. You want your whole body to be engaged with a word, anchored by the feeling of power you instilled, triggered to feel empowered by your name. Before every interview, every party, every uncomfortable awkwardly new situation, role up into your stance of power and say that name. Then in the moment, your name will physically ground you, reminding yourself of the powerful person you are. Don’t forget to include the gesture. That little gesture is the key that unlocks your body. You will remember the feeling.
- I got the part. Now let’s walk. Walk in a neutral way, easy and light. As actors, we would then imagine we landed the part of a lifetime. It’s amazing how one’s walk changes. From the ground up you walk stronger, larger and with pride. Imagine a personal, incredible accomplishment. An award, an acknowledgement, an achievement you’ve dreamed of. Walk with that pride. Then remember to walk into every situation you stress about ‘as if’ you got the part.
- Your soundtrack. You’ve seen me post songs I love. Songs that make me smile from my bones. Always have the soundtrack for your story, the music that empowers you, enlightens you, and liberates you, playing before a moment of stress.
Try these techniques. Rerouting our path to confidence past our intellect and training it straight into our bodies means that when our emotions get the better of us, causing our minds to think destructive thoughts, we can trust our body holds the power we need to be confident. Our body can act independently of our thoughts and emotions and carry us through stressful situations with grace!