For about 5 seconds, there is total silence, as we absorb the words, meaning and emotion and soak in the experience…
Then the entire theater breaks out in thunderous applause and yelling as I leap out of my seat slapping my palms together high above my head.
The poet takes a bow and drifts stage left while artists paint scenes from Hawaii behind her, and the resident DJ turns up the music.
Kealoha, a nationally ranked slam poet himself, is the emcee. He jumps on stage and hugs her before taking the microphone from her hands.
Brushing his long hair from his eyes, Kealoha steps into the spotlight and calls out to the audience.
“That was Bridget Gray everyone,” Kealoha’s voice rings out , “make some nooo-oooise.”
The pulsing crowd goes wild again, filling the whole room with energy that the poets feed off of.
“Keep the love going, coming on stage we have Dar’ron – and waiting in the wings is Jess Kroll. Jess Kroll, you are up next. Dar’ron, coming to the stage.”
And just like that, it was Dar’ron’s turn.
Prepared And Ready
Just before being called up, Dar’ron himself was standing off to the side in the shadows: “waiting in the wings,” and invisible to the audience as Bridget performed her piece.
And now, standing on stage with microphone in hand, his lips pursed and eyes closed, as if welling up the words from deep inside, he had all our eyes on him – anxiously longing for him to begin.
This was his moment – and he wasn’t about to give it up for anyone.
*****
When I’ve recited poetry, played guitar on stage or even serenaded strangers at karaoke bars – I’ve noticed that good emcees always warn you when it’s your turn.
Emcees will tell you who is “up next,” or who is “on tap,” but my favorite way of describing it is like Kealoha – “waiting in the wings” – because it truly defines what it means to be in that moment:
Waiting, prepared, and ready for action.
Waiting For This Opportunity
When you’re waiting in the wings for the first time, those two minutes feel like an eternity.
You’re watching and appreciating the performance on stage: but a part of you is hungry and waiting for them to finish… and you feel like you’re about to burst with anticipation.
You know that those hours of hard work practicing your craft, honing your skills and memorizing your lines is leading up to this single moment.
All that preparation to make the most out of this opportunity.
And then you finally get the chance to jump on stage.
You get to go from waiting in the wings to owning the moment.
Are You Waiting In The Wings?
And that leads me to what I’ve been working on behind the scenes for you.
The question I’d like to ask you is: are you waiting in the wings?
- Are you prepared for the opportunity when it comes?
- Do you have an opportunity already in front of you, that you’re afraid to take?
- Is the opportunity waiting for you to take action – and make the first move?
I promised you when you started reading this that I would share the slam poet’s productivity technique that would change your life. The secret you’ve come all this way to learn is this:
You’ve got to know when it’s time to wait in the wings, and when it is time to step up and take charge of your moment.
Your life is filled with limitless potential. Every day you have amazing opportunities in front of you.
Right now, it is your time.
When I’m looking for inspiration, some of my favorite lyrics come to mind:
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
I think for you, that moment, and that opportunity is right now.