A rock star’s lesson about taking the stage by storm

Rock star Sammy Hagar, of solo and Van Halen fame, recently hit No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List with a rollicking autobiography.

Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock even has some advice public speakers can take to the stage. Hagar writes:

“When I was hungry I lacked confidence. I was afraid to let my heart and soul out. I was hiding. I was faking it. It seeped through. You could hear it in my voice. My actions were not true and honest, so they didn’t connect. I was bluffing, acting the part. It took fame and fortune for me to become myself. That gave me the confidence I needed to bring out what I really have to offer, whatever it is. I started to get real.”

Let’s not take the wrong lesson away from Hagar’s story. We don’t need to achieve fame and fortune before we can storm the stage with the confidence of one of rock’s hardest working and most financially successful musicians. Bring your confidence to bear right here, right now.

You can bet that if Sammy Hagar knew at the start of his career what he knows today he would have brought the full force of his personality and irrepressible energy to its complete expression. Ultimately the difference wasn’t fame or fortune. They were just triggers that set in motion something already innate. They helped Hagar discover what had always been there. The fame and money represented a level of achievement that set his confidence free.

But the former is not a prerequisite to the latter. Way back when Hagar started touring with Ronnie Montrose he had the fire inside. He just didn’t yet know how to turn it into a conflagration.

I believe you do. So storm the stage. Bring the full extent of your personality to your public appearances. Your audience deserves that.

 

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