I say, go ahead and be nervous, but don't let it stop you from doing what you're going to do. Be clear about what you're going to do, and follow it through whether you're nervous or not. When it comes to a job interview or a performance, that involves serious preparation and concentration, but it's all on what you're going to do, not on how you're going to feel. Trying to make nervousness go away will make it worse.
Years and years ago, there was once a man who loved the theatre so much, and wanted so much to be on stage, that the manager of the local theatre company took pity on him and told him he could be in the next production. He said to the man, "When the curtain comes up, I want you to say 'Hark! I hear the cannons roar!' and then run offstage.
The man was thrilled. All day long he was practicing that line, and when he saw his friends and family, he lorded it over them. "Hark! I hear the cannons roar!" And again, "Hark! I hear the cannons roar!" He kept saying it, smug and cocky as could be.
The moment finally rolled around. He went out on stage. The curtain came up. He looked out. There were hundreds of people in their seats, and their eyes were all fixed on him. His whole body was suddenly filled with terror, from his head to his toe, terror.
Then, from offstage, there came a thunderous booming noise.
The man cried out: "What the hell was that?!"
