Behind the Curtain

I recall lounging in front of the television when a documentary flashed across the screen. It followed an aspiring performer warming up with his ten-member troupe behind the heavy velvet curtains of a massive stage. The camera panned across their faces as they prepared to sing their hit song for a staggering 50,000 screaming fans.

As the deep roar of the crowd grew, a few dancers cracked the curtain open to glimpse the commotion. One by one, the others followed, gasping in sheer amazement at the endless sea of humanity!

Finally, The Lead Performer, captured by his crew's ecstatic faces, stopped stretching. He marched to the center of the curtain with the cameraman hot on his heels. He peeked out—and instantly snapped the curtain shut. His face mirrored the rest: Aghast with wonderment! Peeking out a second time, he allowed the lens to capture the terrifying, overwhelming magnitude of the stadium.

The Lead sprinted back to the center of the room and the troupe collided with a massive embrace- jumping up and down with an explosion of pre-show adrenaline.

Seizing the moment, the cameraman asked the Lead Performer, “Are you nervous?”

Without hesitation, the Leader exclaimed, “HELL YEAH! Total fear, man! …We’re used to performing in front of a few hundred people, not thousands!”

Nearby, the backing vocalists continued to run up to the curtain, look out, then turn around bouncing, giddy, and ecstatic.

Then, the cameraman dropped a potent & deeply philosophical question: “How do you deal with that?”

Suddenly, my casual TV viewing morphed into a classroom on life. My ears perked up and I waited anxiously for his response...

Expecting a mundane, cliché response like, “We’re just gonna do our thing,” what the Lead Performer said- completely leveled me. It was PROFOUND and riveting! For, he delivered an equation that solves any high-stakes, sensory-overdrive situation life throws our way. He proposed a mental paradigm shift that has stuck with me for decades!

The performer looked straight ahead and said, “Are you kidding me? I WANT THIS!”

OUTSTANDING! That one liner hit me right between the eyes.

Of course, he was nervous as all get out.
Of course, he was petrified.
Of course, his heart was racing.

But by claiming the moment—by commanding his mind to WANT the chaos—he instantly sedated the panic. He extinguished the flight response and ACTIVATED the raw empowerment needed to meet the situation head-on.

That one-liner changed everything! Why? Because it changed him!

‘I WANT THIS!’…After saying that- You can’t shrink from what you want! There is no motivation to run from what you welcome! There is no turning back, only full acceptance of the occasion.

P.S.
Brotha, didn't just accept the moment; he celebrated it. He celebrated it- even before it manifested! He became the victor before his feet ever stepped into the stage lights….

B.P.S.
Just sharing a simple but insightful lesson that took place Behind the Curtains ...of the Lookout Post.