I got to hear some of my very best friends in the world perform last night, for the first time since May. They absolutely killed it. In spite of unfamiliar surroundings and a crowd that didn’t know their music yet, together with the general atmosphere that bars tend to have (even really nifty bars are still bars), I thought their performance was top notch. After the concert, though, I heard from more than one of the band members that things had been really rough for them up there. They hadn’t been feeling the magic. It was a rough night.
I am here to tell you that Nobody Noticed A Thing.
This prompts me to say something. Because I’ve been there. Plenty of times. I’ve gotten off stage at the end of a show and thought to myself, “well, that was crap.” However, hot on the heels of this thought, all sorts of people, both strangers and friends, come up to me right away to tell me how great I sounded, and how much fun they had.
Here’s why that matters.
No matter what your inner judges are telling you, I would advise you to Listen when people who Love What You Do are telling you that you did a good job. Don’t let it go to your head, but DO believe them. And say thank you. And mean it.
It’s won’t be easy. I don’t know why it’s so hard to accept compliments for so many of us. But getting up on stage, being the center of attention, and sharing your truth isn’t easy, either.
For some of us, it feels easy. It feels natural. We can certainly make it Look easy. But truly? It’s not. It takes a ton of work- physical and mental. Every single one of us has an off night from time to time.
And you know what? People still love us, and still take the time to say so.
In summary, two things: One, yes, you rock. Two, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
