Glossophobia

Public Speaking is said to be one of the most feared
activities in life.  Even more
feared than death, and rattlesnakes. 

The official term for the fear of public speaking is “glossophobia”.  

Being a person who gets up on a stage, behind a microphone,
under bright lights, I can tell you I have experienced this particular ‘phobia’
first hand.  I often wonder why,
when I am prepared with my material, when I know quite a few of the people in
the room, why I feel so nervous putting myself in this very venerable position.  Is it because it does feel just that
venerable?  Or perhaps, just maybe,
it is my own deeply ingrained insecurities that lead me to tremble at this
seemingly insurmountable task?

Last night, among many great friends, I once again got on
another stage.  The stage was a new
one, and I was visibly trembling as I read my piece that I had been practicing,
that I had rehearsed for the past week. 
I recently wrote this poem, and reading in public is not new to me,
however this stage was.  Once I
stepped off the stage, I felt my hands steady, and I felt exhilarated.  Which led me to wonder; if I had known
that I would experience that small piece of euphoria, even if only for a
moment, would I have been trembling?

The chances in life that you never take could be those once
in a lifetime opportunities.  Those
how did I ever live without this before moments, how did I ever breathe
moments.  However it is always up
to you to take that leap to find your breath, to take that chance to learn what
it really is to breathe!

Take a chance!