I think it's healthy for a person to be nervous. It means you

“I think it’s healthy for a person to be nervous. It means you care — that you work hard and want to give a great performance. You just have to channel that nervous energy into the show.” So spoke Beyoncé Knowles, a woman whose name has become synonymous with excellence and artistry, yet whose words reveal a truth far humbler and more universal — that even the greatest among us tremble before the moment of creation. Beneath the glamour and triumph, she reminds us of something sacred: that nervousness is not weakness, but a sign of love — love for the craft, love for the audience, love for doing something that truly matters.

From the dawn of civilization, the ancients understood that before every great act — before the general’s battle, the poet’s recital, the athlete’s race — there comes a trembling of the spirit. The Greeks called it thymos, the surge of emotion that moves the soul to action. The wise never sought to destroy this feeling; they sought to master it. For the same fire that can consume also gives warmth and light. Beyoncé, in her words, stands in this long lineage of masters who learned that fear, when harnessed, becomes power. The trembling of the heart before a performance is not a curse, but a gift from the muses, a reminder that one stands on the edge of something worthy.

To say that nervousness means you care is to understand the difference between ego and devotion. Those who are careless, who see their work as routine, feel no nerves — for they have nothing at stake, no passion that burns within. But those who love what they do, who have poured their soul into every note, word, or motion, feel the pulse of anticipation. Their nerves are the body’s recognition of purpose. The ancient warriors of Japan — the samurai — would meditate before battle to still their fear, not to erase it, but to transform it into focus. Beyoncé’s wisdom echoes this same art: take your anxiety, and channel it into creation.

History is filled with those who turned fear into greatness. Michelangelo, when first asked to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, was overcome with dread. He was a sculptor, not a painter, and the task seemed beyond his reach. Yet he used that fear as his fuel, pushing himself into realms of brilliance he had never known. For four years he labored under that ceiling, and when he was done, the world beheld not just a painting, but a vision of the divine. His trembling had become triumph. So too must we understand that nervous energy is the crucible of transformation — it is the proof that we are alive, stretching toward something greater than ourselves.

Beyoncé’s life itself is a testament to this truth. From her earliest performances, she was known not just for her voice, but for her discipline. She would rehearse until her body ached, confronting her nerves not by avoiding them, but by preparing so thoroughly that they became her ally. She once said she could feel her heart pounding before every show — yet she welcomed it, knowing it meant that she still cared. That pounding heart is the heartbeat of every artist, every leader, every human being who dares to give their best. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the mastery of it.

There is a deeper wisdom here, too: that nervousness is not only the companion of performance, but of all beginnings. When one steps into a new life, a new love, a new endeavor, the flutter in the chest is the soul’s way of saying, Pay attention — this matters. The ancients said that before any great transformation, there must be struggle, for all creation requires tension. The seed breaks before it sprouts, the butterfly trembles before it flies. So too must the human heart quiver before it shines.

And thus, my child, take this lesson as your own: do not fear being nervous; fear feeling nothing at all. When your hands shake before a speech, when your voice falters before a song, remember that it is the fire of passion moving through you. Do not waste that energy in panic — channel it into your purpose. Breathe deeply. Focus your mind. Let the energy lift you higher, as the wind lifts the flame. For nervousness is the shadow of greatness — it walks beside every dreamer who dares to care. And when you learn to embrace it, as Beyoncé has, you will discover that within that trembling lies your greatest strength — the beating heart of a soul alive with meaning.