— Sugar Ray Leonard
IT’S AMAZING TO THINK that in just a few minutes from now…your entire perspective on how you approach each moment, each role, and each remaining day of your life is going to change.
In this post titled Steal The Show…you’re going to learn that you have far more in common with a Broadway Performer, a Hollywood Actor and a Multi-Platinum Rock Star than you could ever possibly imagine.
A moments reflection will provide confirmation that when you strip away the lights, makeup and sound effects…performers are masters at attracting interest, commanding attention, and leaving audiences with fond memories of their time together.
Aren’t these the skills that we can all use to make life more enjoyable for ourselves as well as the beneficiaries of our art?
I want you to wrap your mind around the idea that whatever your title, role or area of responsibility…you are a performance artist.
Every day of your life…from the moment you awake, until you lay your head down for sleep…there are moments when you must serve, persuade, inform, and motivate others effectively.
Each of those moments requires you, in some way, to play a role, to contemplate and elevate the impact of your words, and to manage your emotions and nerves…if you want to steal the show that is.
No matter how you look at it…every interaction is a performance, whether you’re speaking up in a meeting, pitching a client, serving a meal, walking into a job interview, or getting your kids to bed at a reasonable hour.
And while you might not receive the same amount of recognition, exposure or applause as the stars of stage and screen…the work you do is no different than what any Oscar, Emmy or Grammy Award Winner do when they perform their art.
You are a salesperson as well as a showman and what you sell is the enjoyment that your audience receives as a result of your performance.
By doing that well…you will make yourself relevant, remarkable and unforgettable…you will create raving fans and customers for life… and if you do it really well, you might even make yourself rich and famous as the end goal is to become a rock star to your core audience.
The world will always need great performers, people who take their art seriously, who understand the power of personality and who actively work to find unique ways to not only standout from the crowd…but to dazzle and amaze their audience.
I use the word audience, but that also includes an audience of one, such as your boss, colleague, customer, patient or even your child.
Audiences consist of individuals and once you convert one skeptic or new customer into a supporter or cheerleader…you’ll not only have a happy customer, but you will have created an experience worth talking about you’ll be prepared for doing the same thing with larger audiences.
Before we get too much further, let’s define performance artist and determine what constitutes performance art…as this will go a long way in helping you buy into this idea.
Performance art is the professional performance of a specific skill presented to an audience with the intent to entertain, educate, empower or encourage a specific action or response.
This quote from Martin Luther King beautifully and powerfully drives this point home.
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
The quote can easily be extended to include a Doctor, Nurse or Attorney and the performance of their bedside manner.
To a Hostess, Waiter or Bartender at a Restaurant and the dramatic flair they use when welcoming and serving their customers so that they feel special.
To a Teacher, Police Officer, and Hair Stylist and the unique way that they do their work and communicate with the people and community they serve.
You must embrace the idea that every job can be performed in a superior manner, and that every interaction with your customer however that customer is defined is “Show Time”…it’s time for you to perform.
Sadly most people perform their art with the passion and enthusiasm of a sloth…and as a result they spend their life wasting opportunity rather than leveraging it.
The good news — and it is extraordinarily good news — is that everyone has a chance (each and every day) to outshine, outhustle, and to outperform the competition…in effect to steal the show.
That’s why from this very moment…your objective should be to change your paradigm and begin thinking of yourself as a performance artist.
I encourage you to actively look for ways to bring showmanship to your work, and perform your craft in a way deserving of a standing ovation.
As long as you recognize the importance of bringing a little spice and joy to what you do and have a sincere desire to improve…you will expand your repertoire of personal influence skills…you will enjoy a wonderful life… and you will have more fun than a barrel of monkey’s.
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