what an opera star taught me about demanding attention

I arrived early to the first evening class. But once inside the classroom, I saw that there was no instructor or notes on the blackboard. Weird.

Besides a few sniffles and some butt-shifting in chairs, the seconds ticking on the clock were the only sounds in the classroom.

The start time came and went.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. I was wondering if this was a mistake. What kind of instructor is late for the first class? Not a good one.

Boom! The whole class jumped as a voice reverberated from the back of the room:

“Pay attention. Your life’s about to change!”

Chairs screeched and spines twisted as everyone looked at the back of the room to see who had spoken, but no one was there.

We re-oriented ourselves to the front and exchanged glances of “Who the hell was that?

And suddenly, there she was.

Our instructor opera star floated through the front door with arms wide, soaking in our stares and a smile that could be seen from the back of the Sydney Opera House.

“This is how you command attention in a room. If you don’t have everyone’s attention, you’re doing it wrong. Let’s begin.” she declared.

That entrance. That confidence. That comfort with attention.

You and I are never singing the contralto in the Marriage of Figaro, but as entrepreneurs earning money on the Internet, we do need to learn how to demand attention.

Sure, we're not standing on stage, but think of it this way:

Your newsletter is your classroom.

Your launch emails are your stage.

Your YouTube channel is your opera house.

Can we all agree to put more opera singer, look-at-me energy in everything we do?

Less slouching, moping, and hiding.

More poise, boldness, and conviction.

Less Eeyore. More Luciano Pavarotti.

If you are confident, you're audience will be confident to buy.

Arms wide. Big smile. Ooze confidence and take the stage.