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From a meek boy to a man willing to face his fears...

by Meghashyam
(Mumbai, India)

We all suffer from fear at some point in our lives. For some of us this fear can go unchallenged year in year out, and thus limit our growth. But this is a story about a boy from India (called Meghashyam) who was frightened of many things including jogging in front of others, until one day he dared to make a different choice when faced with fear...

(STORY THEME: Fear)

From a meek boy to a man willing to face his fears...

I used to be very, very shy and introverted. So anxious and afraid, that I would feel terribly uncomfortable before shopkeepers and be terrified of entering the college dining room!

I never felt comfortable, especially with people I didn't know.

Then one fine day, something happened that changed my life forever.

I woke up at around 5AM that day. And I went out. And I thought, Why not jog? As I was about to do so, I saw a lot of people on the road and thought, What will these people think of me as I go out and jog? THEN THE THING happened. I suddenly thought, I am so afraid - what if I face my fear for a change?

I felt like I was ripped apart - but strangely, I enjoyed myself as I jogged. I felt so awesome for having done something I was afraid of, that I decided to face more fears. I suddenly loved the process of facing what I feared!

That day and on many, many times, I faced many of my fears. And every time I felt scared, almost broken, but also thrilled! I started with small fears, like initiating a conversation with a stranger sitting next to me and proceeded towards greater fears like telling a man who was smoking in a no-smoking area to please smoke in a particular direction.

I kept a journal of my fears and gave myself 10 points every night for facing one big fear each day. The thrill became so great that I used to get excited each day as I woke up with the prospect of facing more fears.

Eventually, I volunteered to anchor a national level debate and a quiz competition in my college. I loved it! Anchoring became my passion and I voluntarily started organizing quizzes, debates, dumb charades events, aeroplane flying competitions and many other events. I also then became the cultural secretary of my campus.

I still remember that morning, when I went out to jog and was afraid to do so in front of the people on the road. Was that me? Is this how I feel now? But I know that at that moment I had a choice, and making the right choice has brought me just so much joy and wonder in life.

I can now say with conviction that if we resolve to face just one small, simple fear a day then we can face anything on this earth very, very soon. And anyone on this earth can do it, if someone as frightened as me (with the fear of jogging on the road) can do it.

In my final year of college, I started a website. It's based on my experiences of facing my own fears and is called Personal Development is Fun!

Obviously, I have written a page about overcoming fear!

With lots of love and courage
me