MONDAY BYTES – February 25, 2013
Fully Present and Accounted For?
This week I’ve been thinking about performances, about what it’s like when a performer is “in the zone.” Being in the zone can mean the difference between a good and a great performance.
What prompted these thoughts was a terrific blogpost by Peter Bregman that my friend Michael sent me (thanks!). In it, Peter distinguishes between the kind of consciousness and self-consciousness we bring even to the idea of “performance”—that all too often it’s about being judged and needing to do things “perfectly.”
And he contrasts this with the kind of mindset we have when we’re simply focused on the experience itself—as an exploration. Peter uses the example of his wedding rehearsal and the advice a minister gave him (!) but I find this applies to everything in life.
It’s also the typical difference between classical and jazz musicians’ approach to performing. The classical folks tend to be chasing an idealized performance in our imagination and often our egos and fear of being judged keep us sidelined from the being “in the zone.” Whereas jazzers are all about being fully present and in the moment because that’s the whole point of improv.
It works the same for those who teach, give workshops and/or coach or advise. There’s a very big difference between focusing on doing it “right,” and being concerned about making a good impression, versus being fully engaged and playing off of the immediate cues and dialogue of the people with whom you’re working.
There’s no doubt that being fully present and improvising involves risk. You have to let go of your ego to be fully present. You have to let go of the straight jacket of “playing it safe.” As performance specialist Noa Kageyama says, it’s about “flying closer to the sun.”
But the risk is worth it—this is where performances come more fully alive, where teaching and coaching are fully engaging—this is in fact where “the zone” is located—in the fully conscious state balancing risk and readiness!
Read what the minister says here, in Peter’s post: Stop Focusing on Your Performance
And while you’re at it, here’s a terrific post from Noa Kageyama on the Problem with Perfect.
For this week: Experiment with being fully present. Try it in your next conversation—focus on the other person and let go of your own self-talk, and what you want to say next. Instead, be fully THERE: it’s a great gift to the other person. Once you’ve tried it in a conversation, try it in the next lesson, rehearsal, or class you lead. You’ve got nothing to lose!
With more practice you can work up to staying present longer and bringing this to your performances, board meetings, or any other higher stress situation!
Curious about working with me? Details are HERE.
Dream big, Plan smart, Live well!
