To perform at the highest level, we have to believe in our abilities regardless of the pressure around us. Here’s a story from France which shows this so clearly.
The problem with holidaying on the Atlantic coastline in France is that…well its next to the Atlantic. It throws up similar weather to the UK’s. And on a Thursday in August we had that kind of weather. Wet, overcast, damp, cold. Stuck in a caravan all day is no much fun especially with 3 hyper active children to entertain.
So that evening we had to get out and we wandered down to the Camp Site Entertainment Zone expecting, well not very much really, but at least we were out of the caravan. We snuggled intot he bar and waited for the entertainment.
Out came Trio Revolution, a boy and girl band from Marseille singing covers of chart hits. They weren’t brilliant but it was entertainment on a soggy evening and very French.
As they played their string of hot numbers my gaze rested on the audience. Did we look glum; I imagine the result of everyone cooped up in their caravans all day, with screaming, whining children to add to the mix. The audience were still, listless and I started to imagine what I would be like to be Trio Revolution playing in front of us lot. Poor them, I thought, I wouldn’t like to be performing here.
But what about you? When you’re presenting, performing, doing your thing, have you ever been up against an audience like that, or a couple of people looking really miserable. The temptation is to look critically at your own performance. You maybe right to do this but if you’re doing what you normally do, perhaps it could be the audience and not you.
Trio Revolution kept at it and didn’t falter once even though the audience would have ground down most bands. The fella did a lively solo in a flirty French way and the girls went wild. Soon they had us singing along to Lady Gaga’s latest hit.
Sometimes we should just keep at it, keep going regardless of how we’re reading the audience, believe in yourself and what you’re capable of. Trio Revolution believed in themselves and good for them.
And for me…did the evening go well? The French Red Wine certainly helped and as I don’t know the words to Lady Gaga, I smiled and hummed along in a man sort of way.
PS. I found their MySpace Page if anyone is interested. http://www.myspace.com/trio_revolution
