"They say its never too late to stop being afraid"-Shinedown

When asked about a difficult task you have overcome in your life, naturally, you would talk about the loss of a loved one. Yes, I have lost family members, but I won’t be talking about it, because it’s a touchy subject for me. However, I will take you back to March 29^th, 2012. That was the date of my school’s talent show last year. I know what you’re thinking. “How does being in a talent show compare to the loss of a loved one?” It certainly doesn’t, but it was difficult for me, and as I said before, I don’t like talking about death. I’ll start from the beginning. The auditions were in February 2012. I really wanted to be a part of the talent show because it was my senior year, and I wanted people to see the real me. So, despite my terrible stage fright, I auditioned. I was so nervous, practically shaking through the whole song. This is weird because I’ve sung in front of people many times before, but as a part of my schools choirs, not by myself. It was completely new to me, and totally out of my element. I ended up making it in the talent show. To say the least, I was surprised. I was really excited, however. I knew it was something I needed to do. I’m a performer, I needed to get over my stage fright once and for all before college, because I knew more opportunities would come along. So now its March 29^th, 2012 at 7 pm. I’m back stage. I’m nervous and freaking out and everyone around me is trying to calm me down saying “You’ll be fine, don’t worry, just don’t look at the audience, look above them”. I’m still nervous. The show starts. I’m the 7^th person to go on. The first six people are all great, and now it’s my turn. I step out on stage and I can’t even see the audience, all I can see is this bright white light shining on me. I took a deep breath and started to sing. Once I stepped off stage, I had a huge adrenaline rush. I was so happy I did it! It was exhilarating. I was proud of myself for getting out there and doing it. If I hadn’t, I probably would still be beating myself up about it. I feel like that experience will definitely help me while in college. I’ve become less nervous to sing in front of people. It has become second nature almost. I learned a lot from that experience. I learned that even if you’re afraid, it shouldn’t stop you from following your dreams or doing something you really want to do.