One shot

So, Little Man convinced me to listen to an Eminem song the other day.  Here are the beginning lyrics:


Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs,
but he keeps on forgettin what he wrote down,
the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's choking how, everybody's joking now
The clock's run out, time's up over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He's so mad, but he won't give up that
Easy, noHe won't have it , he knows his whole back's to these ropes




...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 blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime

I started to really think about these lyrics.  Haven't we all felt this at some point in our lives?  Going into an interview, you think "this is my one shot, don't screw this up."  You have sweaty palms, you have everything written out.  You have practiced answers to possible questions, you have prepared your own questions.  Then you get in there, and you forget everything.  You go to answer your well rehearsed questions, and you stumble on your answer.  You can't think of anything to say.  You all of a sudden forget everything you have ever done for every company you have ever worked for.  

Last week I taught my second lesson to the my 7th grade classroom.  This was a lesson that I created completely on my own.  I taught all six periods.  These kids know me.  I am in their classroom every Thursday helping out.  This was the first time I had appeared in front of them as an actual teacher.  I had my presentation well rehearsed.  I had spent hours on the power point I had put together.  I get up in front of these sharks...I mean students, and go to speak.  I all of a sudden forget how I was going to start.  Then the panic sets in.  They sense my fear.  I am going to puke...no, I am going to pass out.  I am going to fall over right now, land on my face and they are all going to laugh at me.  I will probably most definitely hit my face on the desk as I fall, shooting blood all over my new shirt.  They will be so grossed out, they will never again look me in the face.  They will lose all respect they currently have for me.  The teacher will have to escort me out, and then she will go to the teachers lounge and tell all the other teachers what an idiot I am.  OMG I am never going to be able to do this.  These kids are going to eat me up.  EVERY. DAY.  I am still just standing here.  They are staring at me, I have to say something...JUST SAY SOMETHING.  

We have all had this panic moment, right?  We prepare for something so important then when the time comes, we fall flat on our face.  I think we learn from this.  We have to fall so many times before we are able to stand on our own.  If we don't have failure, how do we know what success is?

I was able to regain my composure in the classroom.  My panic only lasted about 2 seconds.  My first few lessons were a little rough.  By the last period of the day, I had these kids wrapped around my thumb.  I had easily gained the control I needed.  It took practice, but luckily I had six opportunities to perfect it.  Not everyone gets this chance.  Many times, like the song, you have one shot.  One opportunity.  Do you capture it?