I had a fear of public speaking and stage. It was quite evident to me from my initial school days that I got very nervous whenever it was my turn to address the school assembly.
The nervousness was to the extent that it was visible to others that I was nervous. I started shaking before such events and couldn't hold the voice modulations I had during rehearsals. It was visibly evident that I was uncomfortable when such things came up.
It was in 5 standards I started learning a musical instrument ( tabla) so that I could shift my concentration from fear to some performance while staying at the stage for the performance. It has been 12 years since and I have not only overcome the fear of stage by regularly performing for my band but I have also gained proficiency in 9 instruments.
It took conscious efforts and deliberate participation to overcome the fear of stage. Which I feel is necessary to overcome any challenge one faces in their life.