Chapter 26 Take control of yourself, let yourself appear fearless

Make yourself feel brave and act as if you really are, and use all your will to get there, and courage will likely replace fear. William James, the most famous psychologist in the United States, had such a classic statement: "Action seems to follow sensation, but in fact action and sensation occur simultaneously. Action is under the direct control of the will. Although by restricting action we can also indirectly restrict sensation, sensation is not directly controlled by the will. "Therefore, if we have lost the natural joy we feel, the best way to make ourselves happy is to sit or talk happily, acting as if we are happy. If this behavior does not To make you feel happy, there is no other way.

"So, make yourself feel brave, and act like you're really brave, and use all your willpower to get there, and courage will probably replace fear." Remember Professor James' advice.In order to develop courage, you might as well act as if you really have courage when facing the audience.Of course, the premise is that there must be sufficient preparation, otherwise it will be useless to perform.If you already know what you're going to say, stride out with ease and take another deep breath.Before facing the audience, take a deep breath for thirty seconds. The increased oxygen supply will refresh you and give you courage.The great tenor Gian de Reschi used to say that if you had enough breath in your chest, you could "sit on your breath" and the tension would just go away.

Stand up straight, look your audience in the eye, and speak with confidence.Imagine that each of them owes you money, and they are only there to ask you for time to pay their debts.This psychological effect will be very helpful to you. If you doubt that this theory is unreasonable, you can talk to anyone in my class who agrees with this opinion, and within a few minutes, your doubts will be reassured.If you don't have a chance to talk to them, listen to an American who is often seen as a symbol of courage, but who was once very timid, and who became the most courageous after practicing self-confidence-he is The antitrust crusader, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who often swayed audiences and wielded a huge staff.

He said in his autobiography: "Because I was often sick and clumsy when I was young. When I was young, I was nervous and had no confidence in myself at first. I had to train myself hard and hard, not only for my body, but also for Train the soul and spirit." He described his transformation in this way: "When I was a child, I read a passage in a book by Malliet. It was very impressive and haunted me all the time. It was the captain of a small British warship, explaining to the protagonist How can I achieve a passage when I am proud and fearless. He said: At the beginning, everyone will be afraid when they want to take action. You should learn to control yourself and let yourself behave as if you are not afraid at all. If he perseveres in this way, the original pretense will become a fact. He just practiced the spirit of fearlessness and unconsciously became a fearless brave man.

"This is the theoretical basis for my training. At the beginning, I was afraid of so many things, from grizzly bears to wild horses and gunmen, but I deliberately pretended not to be afraid. No more fear. People can do it like me if they want to." Overcoming the fear of speaking in public can have a huge insidious effect on everything else we do.Those who take up this challenge find that their character has grown and their fear of public speaking has transformed them into a richer, more fulfilling life. One salesman wrote: "After standing up a few times in class, I figured anyone could handle it. One morning I walked up to a particularly aggressive buyer, and before he could say 'no,' I had already Spread the samples out on his desk. As a result, he gave me one of the biggest orders ever.”

A housewife told me: "I didn't dare to invite my neighbors to my house because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to have a harmonious conversation with the guests. But after taking several classes and standing up and talking, I decided to hold a banquet. That banquet It was a huge success. I walked among the guests and had no trouble keeping them laughing." At another graduating class meeting, a store clerk said: "At first I was afraid of customers and I was always scared. After giving lectures to the class a few times, I felt confident and calm when I spoke. I began to speak with confidence. Speak out differently. In the first month after I spoke to my class, my sales went up 45 percent."

They find that they can easily overcome other fears or anxieties, and that they can succeed where they might have failed before.The confidence gained from speaking in public allows myself to face every day with confidence.You can also gain this unprecedented sense of victory to meet the difficulties and troubles of life, and the successive difficulties can also become pleasant challenges that add interest to life.