Even Cher has stage fright!

“I’m no good at sales. I get so nervous when I meet with a new client. I am sure they’re gonna say no because I raised my prices,” she said. 

“Everyone is nervous,” I say trying to normalize the discomfort that every entrepreneur experiences. “Did you know that you can be nervous and still be amazing? I mean, even Cher has stage fright.” 

She didn’t believe me. She worked hard to convince me and anyone else who is listening that her fear is different and debilitating. It is the reason her business is doomed to fail.

But it’s true! The Diva herself even confessed to having serious stage fright on air!

In an interview, NPR news anchor Scott Simon, bravely asserted, “I’ve read that you used to have stage fright.”

“Still do,” said Cher. “We say a prayer right before we go on, and I'm always thinking, oh, God, please let me get out there quickly. … once I start, I'm good. But right before I start, I'm just like, whoa, I can't do this. I'm a very I can't do this person.”

Cher, the Goddess of Pop, went on to say, “there have been times where it just left, but then it always comes back. It's so strange. I'm not a Cher fan. I'm pretty good on stage though. I'm quite interesting on stage, and I'm really funny but not a big fan.”

I grew up with Cher and have always been a fan. I grew up watching her on the Sonny & Cher variety show in the 1960s and 70s. She dominated the stage with her contralto voice, her outrageously fabulous outfits, and her powerful presence. She was a meme long before memes were a thing.

Cher has sold 100 million records, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Her achievements include a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, the Billboard Icon Award, and awards from the Kennedy Center Honors and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s. She is quite the humanitarian as well.

If she can do all that while experiencing persistent stage fright, then the rest of us can step up, speak up, and show up in the middle of being nervous, anxious, and self-conscious. 

At 78 years old, she is still creating new music and owning the stage. From the sound of it, she doesn’t have any plans to stop.

Now when I feel a little nervous, I conjure the image of Cher in her iconic beaded and feathered nude gown designed by Bob Mackey or in one of her amazing headdresses like the 18-inch Isis headdress all while she belts out a show stopping tune. 

At least I have never had to negotiate a contract or close a deal in the nearly-nude.

The reason she gave for her stage fright, by the way, is “because my voice is kind of strange to me. It's like, have you ever heard yourself talking?”

“All the time, and I cringe,” said Simon.

“Well, how do you like it?,” she asked.

“I don't like it. Not at all,” he said.

“OK. So, case closed,” she concluded.

Yeah, case closed! Now go be nervous, breath in and out, say a prayer, and get out there and own your stage! 

If you live in fear that prospects will walk away if you raise your prices, download the FREE workbook now!

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