This one small thing could elevate you forever

My friend was a guest anchor on a ridiculously famous Australian TV show for a couple of seasons. But the very first time they played her segment back, she was sitting there watching it on giant studio screens with the entire production crew behind her, and she thought she might die from embarrassment.

Her mouth looked weird, her voice sounded awful and her hair had big ‘raccoon slept in the bin then fought a leaf blower’ energy. She wanted the ground to open and swallow her whole.

And then, mid-cringe, she glanced around to see if anyone else was dying too. Everyone was watching it the way you watch any other TV segment. Nobody looked concerned about her mouth, her voice, or the bin-raccoon situation happening on her head.

So, she made an instant decision: I’m going to get over myself.

Not in a ‘stop improving’ way. She kept working on her craft. She just stopped being so self-conscious, because she realised something both humbling and freeing. Nobody else is going to be as critical of you as you are of yourself. Most people are too busy thinking about how they look and sound to worry about you.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

Of course, ‘Just get over yourself’ is about as useful as an Instagram influencer yelling ‘You’ve got this babe!’ while you’re falling down the stairs. So, here’s something practical you can do.

Right before you present or show up to record a video, give your brain a job. One mission. Make this feel simple. Make them feel welcome. Make them laugh once. Your brain cannot spiral about your chin angle AND follow a brief. Give it the brief.

That self-consciousness doesn’t just make you feel awful; it kills connection. You can’t be fully present with your audience if half your brain is obsessing over how you look or sound.

The moment you stop watching yourself so closely, everyone else starts enjoying you a lot more.

And the best part is you finally get to enjoy you.