I found this article to be so insightful. This is the part I loved the most.

"The critical reality is that we are not hostage to some naturally gifted level of talent. We can make ourselves what we will. Strangely, this idea is not popular. People hate abandoning the notion that they would coast to fame and riches if they found their talent. But that view is tragically constraining, because when they hit life’s inevitable bumps in the road, they conclude they just aren’t gifted and give up. Maybe we can’t expect most people to achieve greatness. It’s just too demanding. But the striking, liberating news is that greatness isn’t reserved for a preordained few. It is available to you and to everyone."

Here's the link: http://www.careersuperstar.com/2006/10/becoming_a_great_performer.html

Here are three tips to overcome performance anxiety:

1.  Know your material very well. Practice reciting it while imagining you are actually in front of people. You never know what you’ve truly memorized and what you haven’t until you try to perform it.  You will probably black out the first  few times but it’s a good thing to learn how to get through these feelings and still perform. The next step is to perform it in front of a few loved ones.  Don’t be silly and laugh if you mess up. Instead, give a serious rendition and allow them to tell you where you need improvement. If you can this enough times you will allow yourself to adjust to the initial shock of performing for an audience. 

2. Do breathing exercises to reduce your performance anxiety. Breathing exercises help to release tension in your throat and abdomen. Before you start, inhale and count to four and exhale and count to four.  Doing slow breathing also slows down your heartbeat. This helps to reduce your nervous feeling and make you more relaxed and focused when performing. 

3.  ‘Getting into character’ helps with performance anxiety. It may help to imagine yourself as someone else while performing. You can channel their personality and confidence so that you don’t feel so vulnerable while performing. Consider it acting in some ways. Study the writer’s perspective and allow yourself to become that character when singing. To do that, you should study how the ‘voice ‘of the song thinks, feels, and acts. Empathize and embody that message when you sing. Remember, the audience essentially just wants to hear the message you are bringing anyway. You just happen to be the messenger.

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