SHY PEOPLE WILL, ALWAYS, REMAIN SHY















Pic.: Aparna Khanolkar Sheth




“I never felt comfortable with myself, because I was never part of the majority.
I always felt awkward and shy and on the outside
of the momentum of my friends' lives.”

~Steven Spielberg


“It was very natural for me to want to disappear into dark theater,
I am really very shy. That is something that people never seem to fully grasp because, 
when you are an actor, you are meant to be an exhibitionist.” 

~Nicole Kidman

I am very convinced that, some of our core personality-traits – shyness for one – do not change, either with age or with our achievements, fame and success. Shy people will, always, remain shy!

There are only two approaches to deal with our shyness. One, trying to get rid of it from us. Two, transmute it into something beautiful… channelize it through some productive, positive outlets.

From my own experience, I can convincingly say, that trying to get rid of our shyness is like trying to catch our own shadows! Yes, like a dog trying desperately to catch his own tail, we will end up running round and round… It is a waste of time; frustrating!

On the other hand, by becoming aware of our shyness, when we try to transmute it - channelize our nervous energy to excel, to succeed, to win – yes, when we use our shy and nervous core to our advantage rather than to our disadvantage, the outcome can be miraculous!

Right from great orators to sports and movie stars, and right from inspiring teachers to inspiring business or political leaders, we have enough evidence to prove the truth: Shyness, when transmuted well, can transform us…

Gandhi was extremely shy… So was Lincoln… So are Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar…

But, place Amitabh or Shah Rukh in front of the camera… They transform. Ditto with Sachin or Lata. Sachin explodes in the middle of a packed stadium; Lata goes into a trance!

So, look into their lives… Has their shyness gone? Almost all of them still confess that every time they have to put a new performance, they become a nervous wreck!

Which means, they no longer waste their time chasing their shadows; they know how the shadow helps them to get the best out of themselves!

I, too, am extremely shy. But, place me before my students, I transform… I have recognized this strength of mine, and, so, I do not focus on getting rid of my nervousness – my shadow… I focus on my strength, and I operate from there…

And, the shyness dissolves… just as the shadow dissolves when light comes…

Awareness is the light…

The key!


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Aparna Khanolkar Sheth


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