Before becoming a successful motion picture actor, Billy Drago worked for Elvis Presley during one of his tours.

Billy told me about a fascinating process that Elvis would go through just before performing. Hours before the concert, some members of Elvis’s entourage would arrive at the performing venue. They would then meticulously measure a distance that was exactly l,000 yards away from the arena, theater, or hall. Finally, a large trailer would be hauled to this satellite location.

A few hours before show time, Elvis would arrive and enter this dressing room trailer. From Billy’s viewpoint, Elvis rarely appeared ready or able to work. In fact, even after Elvis showered and changed into his costume, he still appeared to be in a low energy state.

Elvis would remain in this non-energized state even after he left his trailer and started on his l,000-yard walk toward the venue.

Soon after the walk began, however, Billy observed that something incredible always happened. With each step, Elvis would slowly but surely regain his energy, vitality, and focus.
By the time he reached the venue, Elvis would be radiating an enormous amount of energy and charisma. In fact, according to Billy, Elvis’s energy field became so radiant and powerful that the audience would miraculously sense his presence before he ever entered the venue. They’d react by going into a clapping and screaming frenzy. This would continue until Elvis entered the venue and finally appeared on stage. The rest is history.

Lessons from Elvis
It’s important to note that whenever Elvis would begin his walk, he was not trying to cover up his low energy and fatigued state. He did not pretend that he was ready to perform. Rather, he accepted how he was feeling and began from wherever he was at — an authentic low energy state. In addition, Elvis was congruent with his emotions every step of the way. Another helpful point is that Elvis became electrified before he took the stage. He didn’t wait for the audience to energize him. Rather, he took responsibility for energizing himself before he arrived. Apparently, this process was so successful that the audience felt his passionate presence even before he entered center stage.

It would be extremely helpful to start developing your own preparatory performing process. Before you give a sales presentation a speech, go on a first date, compete in a sport, audition for a part, or take an exam start inventing and experimenting with your own personal warm-up approach.

When getting creative, remember that if you are in a negative mood or are exhausted, your goal is first to embrace your current physical state and to be authentic and accepting with your emotions.

The focus of your actions is to convert your current state into a positive emotional and physical state. Elvis did it with his walk. How will you do it? Some healthy options are: walking, jogging, relaxation exercises, breathing exercises, meditating, taking a short nap, making or listening to music, and/or finishing your shower with cold water. What you are seeking is to create a physical and emotional opening that will allow you to shift your energy, attitude, relaxation, and emotions.

Conclusion
Remember to honor where you currently are rather than where you wish you were. The goal is to design a technique that helps you transform a down, lowenergy state into an up, highenergy state. This approach will allow you to become more vibrant yet calm, powerful yet relaxed. By changing your behavior, you can improve your state which, in turn, will enhance the quality of your performance. As Elvis did, by treating the preparatory process with as much respect as the actual performance, you will add another dimension to your performing and living repertoire.