If you ask 100 people this question, you will get 110 answeres. I've been performing in public, on and off, for 50 years, and I've learned a thing or two. First, know what you are doing. You must have confidence in your ability to entertain, not just feed your ego. We have all seen people who just dont have anything that an audience wants to hear. How do we know we have something to share? Listen with an open mind. Rely on friends whose opinion you respect to tell you the truth. Dont ask, let them volunteer, and if they don't ask you to perform, no one else will either. Some of the very best have managed to convince themselves that they are not good enough (Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand,) even Jasha Heifitz told himself that people came to see him make a mistake. I've seen it with my own eyes. On the other hand, I've seen many people who just dont know how bad they are! I'm embarrassed for them, but dont know why I should be; if they lack the perception to know, why should I worry?

Booze. Here again, it depends on the individual. If I'm about to perform, I dont drink. One is not enough, two is too many.After three, I cant remember the lyrics, my dog's name or where I was born.If it helps you, and it doesn't hurt your performance, take a dram.

When I first started performing, I got so nervous my shoes wouldn't stay tied. I would ask myself, "What the hell am I doing? Why do I subject myself to this torture"? Slowly, I realized that no one came to see me flop. I also learned that if you run yourself down, the audience may snicker, but they will also feel your discomfort, they will become uneasy, and it becomes a cause and effect thing. Humor is a great tension release; but, dont try it if you are not funny! That cannot be faked, and it will make things worse. Why dont I play guitar like Norman Blake? simple; I cant! and any attempt on my part would make me look like a fool. So, stick to what you KNOW you can do.That audience does not want you to flop. I have a friend who started playing Dobro. He was good and getting better; then, he was invited to play backup for a couple of stage performers, and that was the end of his learning. He took the stage too soon, and it ruined him. Now, he just drinks, joins picking parties, claws the hell out of the Dobro trying to outhammer the guitar pickers, is always half a beat behind playing every lick he knows in every piece that is played, and I hate to see him coming. It doesn't do any good to tell him he is off beat, he just leaves thinking that he is on and everyone else is off. Another guy was so bad, I thought he was being a comedian! He would show up at places where I am well known, do the songs that I do, incredibly bad, people would complain to me, and what could I do about it? He was just too thick to know how bad he was. Finally, dont forget to thank the universe for your ability; that's where it came from, not from you. Sorry about the rant.