Nerves
Tomorrow is supposed to be another beautiful day in the State of Texas. A September day in Boston usually meant the end of softball season. But in Southlake, Texas, it is now the beginning of another season.
I have been playing baseball/softball as far back as I remember. Don’t laugh, but I still have my team stats and trophy from the 1970 peanut league championship I was part of in Framingham, MA. No I am not a packrat, but sports—specifically baseball—are very important to me. (By the way I had 5 RBI’s that year which wasn’t that good except I did that without the benefit of a hit. I had mastered the art of either striking out or walking at the age of eight.)
Back to 2006. I am now in an over 35 league. (Yes, I also qualify for an over 40 league!) The guys are great and the league is a ton of fun.
As the game gets closer I get more and more excited. For some reason, the first game in any sport I play is special. Maybe it’s because all the teams start off at the same point and you need to work hard to separate your team from the rest.
Besides getting more and more excited, something else happens.
We are playing in the first game tomorrow—the 7:00 game. Also, we are listed first on the schedule which means our team is the visiting team. Since 99% of the time my coach leads me off, I am up first. So what does all this mean? (Get to your point.)
Well the “something else that happens” is I am ALWAYS very nervous for my first “at bat” of a new season. My heart is pumping a little more, my hair is standing up on my arms and I am chewing my five pieces of double bubble faster than at a normal game.
Am I alone?
- I have a number of friends that play golf in club championships. Do they get nervous on the first tee?
- Do moderators get nervous the first three minutes of a focus group?
- Do research managers get a little nervous writing a report for a new client?
- Do new business development teams get nervous speaking to and meeting strangers week after week?
- How nervous are you on a job interview?
- Remember way back when: how nervous were you meeting your girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s parents for the first time
Everyone gets nervous in some way, shape or form.
- How long does it last?
- How do you overcome it?
- What are your secrets?
We want to hear from you. I will share what works for me after a number of people respond.
September 18th, 2006 at 9:56 am
I’ve always viewed pre-game jitters as a positive thing. I find that it gives me an edge. My secret for overcoming it is simple: smile and embrace it. It’s normal and human to be nervous, so don’t fret about it.
One of the most important skills you can learn in life, I have told my daughters, is to be able to walk into a place where you are not welcome with a smile on your face. This is not to say that you will not be welcome everywhere, but if you if you can smile when walking into the most dangerous or hostile situations (can the pits of Hell really be any worse than Yankee Stadium?) you’ve got it mastered.
September 18th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
I recall an interview Dick Cavett had with Sir Laurence Olivier. Cavett asked the actor if he ever got stage fright. Olivier replied that even up to that date (this was in the 1980’s) that 5 minutes before every stage performance he would be sick to his stomach. Sir Laurence’s response has been my anchor. I figured if he had nausea 5 minutes before his 1,029th performance of “Hamlet”, then why should I be any different with any of my own “performances”.
September 27th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
I used to teach traffic school here in Southern California. Once or twice a week I would get a class averaging 25 violators (I could legally take 40, and got that many several times a year) and I had to keep them involved for 8 hours.
Nervousness was not a problem as much as taking control of the class, especially considering that most did not want to be there. I developed a method for memorizing the names of the entire class. It took me about fifteen minutes at the very beginning while the class was watching a video. Then, within the first 15 minutes of the class, I made sure everyone was aware that I knew their name.
It was only the first names, and a day later I would forget them all, but for that eight hours, I had control of the room.
Last year the collegiate liaison in our AMA chapter asked me to address the AMA chapter at a local university. I did the same thing. Memorized their names. The audience was enamored.
By the way, anybody can remember names — you just have to develop a system. My personal record was 42 names. It is a great way to take control of a room.
September 27th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
I love your bloggo, keep it up!