Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality. Ralph Marston
What’s keeping you from taking that next career step? Or perhaps you are having trouble making contact with those that you think might be able to help you move forward in some way. Or you are shy, so networking at any event is painful or non-existent. Here are some ideas that I think will help you gain more confidence in yourself, be able to follow through with your career plans and network with comfort and great panache.
You first need to identify who you are by creating and defining yourself from your inside out. You have to do more than look good on the outside; you need to make your exterior reflect your genuine inner self. When you feel confident, you will in fact be more confident and this will build your appeal to your target audience when you present and represent your Personal Brand, the product you intent to sell. That means you have make time to figure out what your purpose, passion, gifts, strengths, qualities, and accomplishments are.
Create your own Personal Mission Statement to back up your Personal Brand. Be sure you are willing and able to make a commitment to living your mission statement by including the benefits that will be received by your efforts, the impact you will have on others – your purpose and passion. When complete, it will feel right to say and your passion will ignite when you are saying it – even if you are shy!
Are you finally interested in planning a career strategy to build your business? Make a list of what you hope to gain, what you have to offer and who will benefit from this. That means you need to think not only about what others want, but also about your own needs and values, and what you are willing to sacrifice for your career. Can you define your niche and become the expert in this area so you are seen as someone who can execute the repertoire with confidence and excitement? You need to spend some time researching roles, characters, time lines, stories, past performances, and other singers who have made their mark with these roles. Educate yourself so you clearly understand the needs and challenges of your desired target market and our Opera Industry. You can then present yourself, your product, as one who has the knowledge, skills, experience, voice, and qualities that address the needs and challenges of those looking to hire.
Challenge yourself and make it a goal to meet new people in your industry each week. It might be a referral from someone you already know or perhaps a follow-up with a new acquaintance you met serendipitously. This is doing business which is neither personal nor emotional. Networking is a very necessary part of building a career and business. And business is, simply put, creating and maintaining relationships! So if you are shy, here is a great tool to help you get better at this very important and necessary skill.
We all have something called our “personal space”. Scientists call it our “electromagnetic field”. It’s energy we generate that can be measured, and that we all carry around with us wherever we go. Using this tool is something we do hundreds of times each day unconsciously. By bringing it to consciousness it becomes a great tool. Put your arms out and turn in a circle. This is your personal space and can be either drawn in to insulate yourself from any outside interaction or it can be extended beyond those that you are engaged with whether it be in close proximity when networking, or when auditioning or performing to include those that are listening. It’s simply a choice of knowing you can either extend it to include others and invite them into your space or you can retract it, for example, when you are walking down a crowded street or are on a bus or subway. Using your personal space as a tool makes you feel more comfortable and you will notice that others respond very quickly to being unknowingly invited into your personal space. Try it and as you do, you will get better at using this tool.
And lastly, look for Mentors. This can be anyone from friends, family, colleagues, teachers and coaches who can support, motivate and help you create an atmosphere that respects who you are while challenging you to do more than you think you can.
