Rising to the Occasion.

I have a bad habit of buckling under pressure.

And I can not tell a lie...

I don't really know how to do otherwise.

I have this amazing opportunity to sing in this awesome contest on Saturday.

And I am going to be 100% honest with you, I am sabotaging myself.

I realized it subconsciously, 2 weeks ago.

And yesterday, my brain let me admit it to myself.

I don't know why.

But I don't really need to know why at this juncture.

I need to know how to fix it.

I need to know what I can do right now with my mind set, that will make me go into this performance with zero expectation of myself except that I love to sing.

I mean really, I love singing.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a walking Jukebox.

But when it comes down to it, singing is too vulnerable for me.

I can't tell you why.

Lack of confidence in who I am as a singer?

Lack of confidence in life?

Probably all the above.

I love to sing.

I have a great voice.

I have fun singing.

I love music.

I love the poetic beauty that makes a dead piece of tree with some ink on it, turn into a full blown wave of energy that gracefully, but with ferocity, crash onto your ear drum, making you feel life the way it was meant to be lived.

Fully.

And there are a million reasons as to why I could give up right now.

And a billion other reasons telling why I can't do this.

But there is this one soft whisper that I hear in head over everything, even when I am not listening....

It say's.  "Be afraid."

Let the fear come. You can still move forward while you are afraid.

Fear does not own you.

Fear does not have any power over you.

These expectations that you have for yourself, they are unrealistic.

You don't have to be perfect.

You don't have to be incredible.

You just have to be you.

That's it.

You.

Rising to the occasion doesn't look like coming out on top all the time.

Rising to the occasion looks like being who are, despite what other people tell you.

Rising to the occasion looks like being afraid, and doing it anyways, moving forward.

Rising to the occasion means loving the people and things you do that create life in the world.

Rising to the occasion isn't being the best.

Rising to the occasion isn't perfection.

Rising to the occasion isn't winning awards and having all your ducks in a row.

Rising to the occasion is being who you were created to be...

Loved.