It comes without fail on the night after I give a presentation and even in the days that follow.
I can hear myself saying something in front of those hundreds of people that I spoke to earlier and feel a sudden urge of panic.
It is a strange feeling that no amount of positive encouragement or affirmation from people after the talks who were there seems to erase.
Is it a fear of rejection? A fear of making offense? A fear of being wrong?
Steven Pressfield would call this Resistance. Every artist experiences it.
The more I have given keynotes and workshops, the more I have come to expect post-presentation Resistance.
It is irrational. It is unnecessary.
All I can do is let those feelings of post-presentation panic arise, welcome them back, then assure them that they have no power over me. I have to remind myself that people are too busy to worry about anything else but themselves. Besides, if I had said nothing unique, then I would have nothing interesting to say.
