Fear is the number one killer of confidence. Whether it’s stage fright or feeling like you won’t fit in or aren’t good enough, fear is clearly debilitating. Granted we all struggle with issues of insecurity on some level, but by not confronting fear we never get to operate at, or even approach, an optimum level of performance.
Yet, for a singer and others in the arts, the creative gift can be used to help counter personal fears and issues with poor self-esteem. For many, the stronger you become as a singer and the more experience you gain with performing, the more confident and comfortable you become in your daily tasks away from taking center stage.
This fear can keep you from performing as a singer at your best level. The key to building self-confidence is to take action by following through on clear choices to take control of your life and career. The following are five suggestions on things to try that can help you boost your feelings of confidence and enhance a positive, desired self-image.
Inventory Assets
Take time to make a list of at least five positive qualities you feel you have as a singer, performer, and friend or person. After working through your lists, ask three people who you know well to identify your strengths or positive character traits as a person and also as an artist. Then, compile a list of those traits.
Make note of the ones that showed up most frequently. Then, make note of examples of times when you know that trait or quality has generated something positive in your life. It could be a special performance, an introduction to a friend, or an opportunity that opened a door for you.
You want these traits to be specific and have images and experiences that shore up these qualities and aspects of your personal and professional persona. Create a wall hanging, song, piece of art – something to serve as a tangible, physical reminder and tribute to these positive aspects of what you bring to life’s table. You want to keep this on hand to remind you of the positive impact you have.
Supreme Makeovers
Grab a photo or several photos of yourself and take a long look at them as you search for things you’d like to change, improve, or eliminate altogether. Listen to a favorite recording of one of your performances – or record yourself singing your favorite song. Then, listen to the recording.
Make note of anything that makes you uneasy about listening to or looking at yourself. Once you’ve completed your list of changes to make in your appearance or singing, make note of one specific step you can take for each to start you on your supreme makeover to become more confident and comfortable with yourself as a singer, performer, and person. Also look for any connections or commonalities between things prompted by listening to yourself or by looking at your photos.
Run the results by someone you trust so that the issues you have with yourself seem reasonable and nothing is either self-destructive or otherwise irrational. You want your perceptions to be grounded in reality. You want your solutions and steps to make improvements to be healthy and reasonable.
Increase Competencies
Continue to grow as an artist. Invest in programs at SingingSuccess.TV. If you’re not a songwriter, try your hand at songwriting by studying the body of work of a favorite writer. Start off very simple with just working on a chorus. Or play with hooks or song titles to get yourself comfortable with lyrics and the ideas, concepts, and themes behind songs.
This will help you grow your interpretive skills. And it may uncover a gift for songwriting that you didn’t realize you have. If you already write or compose music, by looking closely at the works of other songwriters, you can help enhance your songwriting skills and boost your confidence as a performer.
No Wrongs To Write
As a general rule, commit to writing for at least a half-hour on a daily basis through a blog or journal or by writing a daily poem, lyric, or set of song-hooks. This hands-on heartfelt focus on self-reflection will help you become more comfortable with who you are and how you see things. You’ll also become a stronger, better communicator in the process. Your growing level of competence as an effective communicator will also boost your overall self-esteem and confidence.
Take Care Of Yourself
As strange as this sounds something as simple as good grooming, dressing nicely, exercising and eating well can do wonders for a positive self image. You’re nurturing and nourishing yourself when you do this. And, it shows that you matter to yourself beyond appearances.
Many dismiss this concept as superficial – that what matters most is what’s on the inside. However, it becomes a problem when there’s chronic or willful neglect of hygiene, health and self care.
Depend On Pampering
Make a point to periodically pamper yourself. Indulge something that you might otherwise consider to be a luxury. Take yourself shopping for some new shoes or threads or ask someone you trust to help you do a one-day makeover. You can return the favor for them as it helps to pull you out of your “discomfort zone.”
Use this makeover as an opportunity to also explore some options with your image as an artist or to play with some image choices for you and your band.
The key point here is to cultivate some positive, affirming, healthy self-care that will benefit you both personally and professionally in the pursuit of your singing success.
Clear The Clutter
Clear your work space and that includes everything from your desk to where you rehearse – any place that is clearly connected to taking your career seriously must be put in order.
Many artists live in chaos. If it’s too much for you to sort through and straighten, enlist the help of someone you trust and have a clean up day that ends with a celebration of some sort. Many times the simple act of clearing clutter will boost feelings of self-confidence and shake off any lingering doubts and clinging fears.
This simple act of clearing the clutter helps you take control of your life. You will notice that the next time you warm up your voice or have a rehearsal that there’s a sense of freedom and feeling more open that simply comes because you cleared the space and became better able to focus. This gives you a sense of having more control, and this makes you more confident.
By engaging these activities and practices you’ll feel more confident in yourself as a singer and performer. You’ll also find that you’re able to function more effectively and confidently with a better defined sense of direction in tackling daily tasks.
SingingSuccess.TV Forums
Use the forums here at SingingSuccess.TV to share the challenges you face with issues such as self-confidence. Take time to report the progress you make with meeting those challenges so that others at SingingSuccess.TV can benefit as well. Exchange ideas, tips, resources, tools, and life experience with other singers, singer-songwriters, musicians, performers, and other music industry professionals.
The more you share, the more you learn as the lives and careers of others are enriched. Invest in the products offered that have been developed by Brett Manning and affiliates such as Tom Jackson so that you can achieve the full potential of your singing success.