they can’t be fought. The adrenaline is already in your blood and your body
will respond. If you try to fight against the reactions, you’ll grow frustrated
by your inability to change them. Your fear will multiply as you realize you
are not in control, and the symptoms will worsen.
Once the adrenaline response is triggered, you have only one choice —
channel the energy into something positive. Remember the purpose of
adrenaline — it prepares you for flight or fight. This means you can use the
same fear/flight reactions to create courage and fighting spirit instead. This
is how I transformed my own fear of public speaking.
By using the energy instead of resisting it, you make yourself into a
dynamic and confident speaker. The physical responses of fear and
excitement are nearly identical. When you are excited your heartbeat
increases, your breathing gets faster, and your muscles tension increases.
When extremely excited, you may sweat and your hands may shake. In
other words, your body reacts the same. So what makes the difference
between extreme fear and extreme excitement?
It is the thoughts and feelings you attach to the physical reactions that
determine whether you experience fear or excitement. By connecting
positive experiences to the physical sensations, you will train yourself to
feel excited and powerful rather than afraid.
How To Convert Fear Into Power
We will once again return to the technique of anchoring to program your
brain for public-speaking confidence.
The first step is to recreate, as best you can, the physical sensations of
fear. You want to get your heart beating faster. You want to increase your
breathing. You want to tighten your muscles. The easiest way to do this is to
use the peak state exercise you learned in the beginning of this book.
Put on your favorite loud, high-energy music. As you listen to this music,
begin to jump and move your body. Little by little, jump higher and jump
faster. Put a huge smile on your face. Make strong powerful gestures with
