Rising To the Occasion - Karaoke Fest 2008

For some reason, the idea of competing in a major contest is foreign to some people.  They would no sooner enter a singing competition than go play on the freeway.  And that can be born out of a lot of different reasons.  Probably the biggest reason is the Fear Factor.  Some people are just afraid to get up a sing in front of a lot of people.  Others will get up and sing karaoke at their favorite club but are afraid to do it for a competition because they are afraid of what others might think - the ebarrasment factor.  And then there are those who won’t do it because they think they aren’t good enough to compete.  Well I am one of those that believes that no matter what your current skill level, you can get better and you can learn to compete.  You can learn to compete whether your road block is Fear or Skill level. 

To tell yourself that you are not “very competitive” or you are “not good enough” is often just an excuse to let Fear win out.  Sometimes you have to (to use the phase made famous by Nike) – Just Do It.  By that I mean for some people it is time for them to face their fears and overcome them so they can grow as a person.  Helen Keller once said, “You must walk directly toward that which you fear most, for it is your guiding light to your greatest joy”.  Only by stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something you had fear about doing will you ever be able to realize what your true potential is.

If you watched American Idol this year and heard any of the comments made by the contestants after their performances, the one thing that I heard more than any other thing was that when they decided to go out there and just have fun with it, that is when they really excelled.  Over and over again I heard this as it seemed to be a common thread they all had. 

Of course to go out there and just have fun with it is not the whole story.  What makes it possible for them to do that is all of the hard work they put in to it before they got there.  It is the hard work and Practice that gave them the confidence to go out there and “just have fun with it”.  Believe me, if they had not put forward the hard work before hand, they wouldn’t be having fun with it.

The act of performing should be a generous gift of yourself.  If you are more concerned about how you are sounding or looking, you are just showing off and looking for approval.  But when you are up there with confidence in what you have to offer, and you are willing to share that with the audience, then you can perform and give the audience what they are looking for, and that is to experience some of your emotion and passion.  It is when that exchange of energy between the performer and audience happens that you truly entertain them.

I mentioned above the “exchange of energy” that must happen for true entertainment.  The optimal word there is “exchange”.  At first you might have thought that I was referring only to that which you are giving the audience.  But do not underestimate the return of that energy from the audience to the performer.  There lies perhaps the biggest secret of competition.  That return to a performer can be so powerful and thrilling that instantly you become larger, better, and greater than before.  It is the realization of the response coming back that will take you to new heights.  And that phenomenon is the reason that many performers will take that risk in the first place.  I speak from experience when I say that is much like the synergy of energy and excitement you would get if bungee jumping off a bridge.  And to never take that risk is to never have that experience. 

So Karaoke Fest 2008 is coming up and is not too late to start preparing yourself to go out there and take that chance.  Now is the time to start practicing your Karaoke At Home , or in the car or wherever you can.  Give your self the confidence you need to dare to SING OUT LOUD and become a star.