Do you get anxious each time something big or important happens in your life or work?
I do.
An acquaintance recently asked me, “Why do you get butterflies in your stomach (BIYS) at work even though you have been doing this for over 25 years?”
I gathered my thoughts before responding:
“It is much like how you feel just before a major exam,” I said. “You may have prepared well, but how you fare on that day depends on several factors, some of which may not be in your control.”
Why Preparation Alone Isn’t Enough
Luck plays a HUGE role. No amount of planning and preparation can help if your luck runs out. Some things are unexplainable why they happen; they just do.
For instance, a new launch video file did not play correctly when unveiled at our biggest event of the year a few years ago. The clip ran perfectly just before the event began and even after it ended. And each time we played after that.
It was precisely the same file. No changes were made to it.
When a top minister triggered the remote on stage that unfortunate day, the audio played but not the video. Everything else worked perfectly as planned. But this one glitch eclipsed all the good that prevailed before and after.
Dealing With Unexpected Setbacks
Sometimes, shit happens. There’s little you can do. A machine or a human error can mar the entire proceedings.
I have been there a few times, and I can tell you I still can’t shake it out of my mind.
They say once bitten, twice shy. I am forever shy, particularly when the bite is hard.
I work in a LIVE news environment. By its very nature, a LIVE event is a ‘one-take’ phenomenon. There is no take two. You make a mistake, and it is out there in the open. You can’t erase it.
Leading an operational role in LIVE news environments can take a toll on you over the years. Some revel in the pressure, while fatigue sets in for others. It’s easier when you’re young. As age catches up, the stress can get the better of you. How do you deal with it?
Using Pre-event Nerves to Stay Alert
The biggest annual event of the group I work for is coming up next as I write this. The butterflies –all over my stomach – are accompanied by severe anxiety. I am nervous, worried, and short of sleep. But there are some silver linings too.
BIYS kills complacency. It keeps you on your toes. When alert and apprehensive, your mind is looking for gaps or lapses. Things can still go wrong, but chances are less you get caught off-guard.
You can harness a not-so-good thing to help you avert a disaster or failure. It has helped me as much as it has hurt me. Pain, at times, help us feel pleasure. Butterflies in my stomach do just that.
“Every time you go out there, you want to be a little nervous, have a few butterflies in your stomach, and get the juices flowing.” – Taryne Mowatt
You’ve to learn to manage it. Better still, make it work for you.
“It’s OK to get butterflies in your stomach; the key is to learn how to make them fly in formation.” Georges St-Pierre
Don’t let them overwhelm you. If they negatively impact your daily life, then you’re in trouble. Seek therapy. Reach out to a counsellor.
Can you make BIYS work for you instead of being consumed by excessive worrying? Yes, if you can find the right balance.
I have not reached there yet. I need to reduce the worrying quotient by several notches to be more at ease. I feel a knot in my stomach that lingers until the event ends. I can feel it now.
Over the next few days, I will have to deal with them. I have learned to accept them as the price of accomplishing one’s goals. As long as it ends well, it’s all good.
But will it? I will know in less than a week. Wish me luck!
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