I had an experience in university that probably should have been a total disaster.
I had been studying a piano piece that was too difficult for me, so, at the last minute before the recital, I switched to another that felt more comfortable.
But I really had not had time to learn it well, and my skills did not hold up under the pressure of performance.
About two-thirds of the way through the piece, my hands froze, and I could not remember another note.
So I got up, stood tall, faced the audience, and smiled. Then I said, with a clear, strong voice: “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve forgotten the rest of the piece. Thank you very much.” I smiled again, bowed, and left the stage.
Would you like to guess the feedback that I received?
Nothing about the bungled performance...and lots of praise for the poised and graceful exit!
I could not control the performance that had gone wrong, but I could control the way I left the stage.
The lesson here: CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL!
I’ve learned, and through Much Smarter taught many students, to let go of worry, anger, regret and other limiting emotions.
Having had that experience, I notice that generally, what we are worried, regretful, and angry about are things that are not under our control anyway!
So we realize an exponential increase in power when we fully learn to let go of those emotions, and focus our attention only on what is in front of us.
