Face Your Fear, Again and Again
Because growth lives outside comfort zones
4-min read
“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
— Henry Ford
When I first presented in school, I was terrified. My hands shook, my voice cracked, and words vanished mid-sentence. Staring at the teacher’s judgmental face, I thought, never again.
I hate this feeling. People are looking at you. They see every detail and hear every mistake, and the teacher is judging you. You prepared a text that you almost know from memory. But suddenly, all the words you wanted to say are gone. You are nervously looking at the prepared sheets in your hand, but you cannot read them because you are shaking. That’s a really awful feeling.
High school ended, but the presentations didn’t. At architecture school, semesters meant multiple design presentations. Their stakes were higher, but so was my preparation.
The presentations didn’t stop, because in architecture, you always have at least 2 presentations of your project every semester. This time, you've worked on your project for a few weeks now, and you should be able to answer questions and then engage in a discussion about the concept, details, or feedback.
I still don’t love presenting. But those trembling hands? They’ve calmed. Each time made the next a little easier.
Lesson #1: Practice Reduces Fear
“Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.”
— Dan Rather