Feel the fear and do it anyway!

I saw this saying once and it made me laugh but then I found out exactly what it meant on a cruise in the Mexican Riviera.

Since I was in elementary, I knew that I lacked the ability to carry a tune. It might have been after the excruciating silence and open jaws that fell across the room of my fifth grade class after singing my solo for try outs. Or the fact that I was always put on the back row during school singing performances. Or it could have been the confusion I felt when my grandma kept saying it sounds like this “Mares eat oats, and does it oats and little lambs eat ivy…” even though I was singing the correct words back to her.

By the time I was in Junior High, I sadly only tried out for school plays instead of musicals and my secret dream of being a rock star faded. I figured that there was a reason that no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn’t sing on key. Maybe the singer life style was not for me. Maybe I was destined to be a mother in suburban Utah and that would be reward enough. Or maybe it was good that I didn’t sing well- it would help me appreciate the contrast so that I would love my voice even more in the next life!

My fear about having other people hear me sing began to grow. I would mouth the words to songs in church so no one would know my shame. And after I had children, I would fret that if I sang lullabies to them, they too might pick up my tone deafness.

Back to the Mexican Riviera.

I was on a cruise last March watching a “Pop Star Karaoke Contest.”It is kind of like an American Idol for cruise ships.

My husband smiled and said, “I am going to sign you up to sing.”

Instant fear gripped me. “No!” I yelled. I could stand up in front of hundreds of people and speak, but to sing would be absolutely terrifying and humiliating. Let alone, having an audience rating my performance on a scale of one to ten.

My husband said, “They judge you on three things: your voice, star quality and stage presence.”

My inner child yelled “Go for it!” and my adult self remembered the saying “Feel the fear and do it anyway” besides, I said to myself, “Two out of three ain’t bad”

So, I did it.I faced my fear and stepped out of my comfort zone. I remembered that fear and excitement create the same physiological responses in your body. I chose excitement.

That night I was a rock star.

After I sang, I found out that my friend Jon had recorded it. As I watched the video clip, I thought, “Wow!Your singing voice is pretty bad- but you rocked it!”

I have posted that clip on this blog for your viewing pleasure (if not for your listening pleasure).

So enjoy the show! I hope it makes you laugh, but even more- I hope it gives you the motivation to enjoy yourself and take risks no matter what you may think other people think! I don’t just hope you dance. I hope you rock!

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.

P.S. I didn’t make the Pop Star finals, but the director told me it was close and I technically came in seventh place overall. He couldn’t believe it was my first time karaoking. Watch out for me next time Mexico!