Shifting Fear to Excitement for Big Events

Photo by Tim Trad on Unsplash

Take a moment and think back to the last big event in your life. It might have been leading an important presentation, sharing big ideas on a conference stage, running a workshop, or holding space for a vision-setting planning session. It might have been making a toast at a wedding, or celebrating a milestone birthday.

For me, the anticipation and preparation for a big event involves the dual emotions of fear and excitement. They seem to feed into each other. I recently ran a four-day women’s leadership retreat and I could feel the familiar swirl:

• Will my co-leader and I disagree on the programming?
• What if nobody shows up?
• What if I get distracted and forget what to say?
• Will everyone laugh at what I present? Will it be a massive waste of time for them?
• What will go wrong with the logistics (weather/food/lodging)?

And at the same time, I could feel the excitement and sense of possibility:

• I love speaking, talking and teaching. This energizes me.
• I can’t wait to meet and learn from the other leaders attending. They are so cool!
• I’m thrilled to spend time away from the day-to-day and in an outdoor setting.