Goodbye Butterflies

The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution

Non-Fiction - Self Help
194 Pages
Reviewed on 02/11/2018
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution is a nonfiction self-help book written by Dr. David Lee Fish. Fish is a professional musician as well as a professor and the PJ Leonard Chair of Music at Catawba College. He makes it quite clear at the outset of his book that he’s not promising to cure your stage fright forever -- there is no such cure. What he does offer is a proven technique for learning to manage and even embrace that fear. His interest in stage fright is both personal and professional. As a professor of music, he was concerned for his students whose success as musicians could be jeopardized by anxiety and pre-performance jitters. As a professional musician, he also experiences stage fright.

Fish’s time spent learning, when he was younger, under a Zen master has given him insights into the process of dealing with stage fright. Instead of trying to medicate or otherwise remove stage fright, he offers a five-day program that teaches how to detach oneself from the anxiety and focus on the performance. He also offers an online course that can be used in conjunction with this book as well as the workbook that’s included with it. He begins with a discussion of stage fright and what it is; and he shows how it affects performers of all types: from musicians and actors to public speakers, even to people making important telephone calls. Each chapter in this book offers the instructions for one of the five days and includes the practice of mindfulness and other exercises that help the reader process the material covered. There’s also a bonus content section providing more exercises and information for those who want to progress beyond the 5-Day program.

Dr. David Lee Fish’s Goodbye Butterflies offers practical solutions to a problem that plagues people from all walks of life. Nearly everyone has experienced stage fright in one form or another, whether it’s during an audition, before a school play, or even when trying to impress a prospective employer during a telephone interview. I loved seeing how he was able to apply Zen principles and philosophy in developing his stage fright strategy. I enjoyed working through the 5-Day chapters and doing the workbook exercises, and love that unforgettable image of the strawberry and the monk. Fish makes it easy to get into his book, beginning with outlining the course in his introductory chapter, and the Takeaways sections concluding each chapter help the reader make sure they’ve a firm grasp of everything covered. Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution won’t cure your stage fright, but you won’t look at it the same way after working through this book. You might even learn to embrace that fear and harness its energy to boost your performance. Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution is most highly recommended.

Sefina Hawke

Goodbye Butterflies (The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution) by Dr. David Lee Fish is a non-fiction self-help book that would appeal most to a mixed audience of young adults and adults who suffer from stage fright. This book teaches performers and speakers how to overcome their stage fright in order to reach their potential as a performer or speaker. In addition, the book also teaches the reasoning behind overcoming stage fright using the 5-Day Stage Fright Solution. A bonus section of the book includes information about celebrities who used to suffer from stage fright until they overcame their fright in order to become the famous performers that they are today.

Goodbye Butterflies (The 5-Day Stage Fright Solution) by Dr. David Lee Fish is a well written book using plain English without any jargon. As a psychology graduate, and as an individual who suffers from stage fright during any sort of public speaking, I found Goodbye Butterflies to be both interesting and helpful. I felt like the author truly understood my anxiety with public speaking and that made it so much easier to follow. I liked the way that the author not only taught me the 5-Day Stage Fright Solution, but also explained the reasoning behind the solution. The bonus section of the book helped me to understand that I was not alone in suffering from stage fright, and it gave me hope that I could overcome it just like Helen Mirren, Adele, and Katy Perry did!

Kayti Nika Raet

Goodbye Butterflies by Dr. David Lee Fish is a self help book on how to combat stage fright, whether as a public speaker, actor, or just an ordinary layman. Describing stage fright as a finger trap toy from childhood, Fish encourages all those who take his course to stop struggling against stage fright and instead practice mindfulness, along with a few other tips that will help the reader move beyond the crippling fear. Drawing from his own life experiences, and using well known actors as examples, Fish seeks to help anyone suffering and unable to pursue their dreams. Promising to help the reader move beyond stage fright in five days, Goodbye Butterflies offers many tips and insights to help the reader combat not only the stage, but any issue in their lives. Infused with a practical but can-do attitude throughout, Goodbye Butterflies is encouraging but not overwhelming. Dr. David Lee Fish is a veteran educator and musician, and has had some experience with stage fright himself, giving Goodbye Butterflies an authentic authority as he uses the step by step guide first debuted in his online course.

I found Goodbye Butterflies by Dr. David Lee Fish to be well written and informative. It is written in a way that makes for easy consumption and understanding, providing gems for all aspects of life. By sharing his own personal journey as well as those of others, Fish shows that no one is beholden to their circumstances and provides the tools they need to grow and thrive. And while Fish has crafted such an engaging book that it can be read in one sitting, he also provides content that is guaranteed to be reread and pored over. His online course is certain to provide further help. A great book for anyone looking to combat their fears and live the life they would love.