Rakugo for the people who haven't seen this word before is a traditional Japanese entertainment where a performer tells a comical story while sitting on a cushion on an elevated stage.
The performer was actually a native Canadian who has perfected the art of Rakugo and now travels all over the world sharing the art form.
His performance was excellent and I managed to speak to him after the show and it was obvious that he absolutely loved it and was the kind of person who was equally comfortable in front of a crowd as well as in a one on one situation. He spoke very enthusiastically about Rakugo and I could tell straight away that he was a very extroverted person.
Now you are probably thinking, I'm not extroverted, I can't possibly get up in front of a lot of people and crack jokes or perform or play guitar or whatever.
What I say to that is bulls**t. Of course you can for two reasons:
Number 1 - If you are passionate about something as this guy certainly is then it doesn't matter. I'm sure that not every rock and roller is an extroverted, groupie banging bro. They are passionate about it and they will get up in front of thousands of people and do their thing. I'm sure you can too.
Number 2 - The Situational Extrovert. This is when you are fundamentally introverted but for the performance or the time you have to give a speech, you flick a switch and it is like you are Doctor Bruce Banner changing into the Hulk. Don't worry, you don't change into a big green monster, you just turn into an outgoing extroverted performer who loves the spotlight and is playing a character.
There you go, what is your passion? I'm sure that if it involves performing on the stage you can do it if you love it and if you are practiced and are confident enough. I've gotten over my fear of public speaking by doing that. Think that you are playing a character and with practice it becomes easier and easier.
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