OVERCOMING OUR FEARS

“I was always terrified of challenges and my biggest fear was rejection” says 39 year old Chinnmaye Praveen. You may think that this would have hindered her from living life to the fullest – absolutely not! Chinnmaye heads the Strategic Planning Department at a company that manufactures and installs water purification units. Not only that, in order to give back to society she started an initiative called Vistaara, to empower kids through cross learning, community participation, events, workshops and awareness campaigns on importance of education and child rights.

There is no one I know who fears nothing. Some fear losing a loved one, losing a job, public speaking, heights, losing a job, and even fear of the unknown. It is so powerful that Chinnmaye came forward with her story of strength.

So how does this dynamic woman overcome or deal with fears that so many of us also have? Chinnmaye opened up willingly to say that it is completely an inside job. No amount of popping in pills or glossing over the issue helps. She went one level deeper and shared that introspection, self-hypnosis, a fighting spirit, maintaining a positive attitude that slowly shifted her thinking from “unwillingness to willingness, inertia to effervescence” is what helped her start taking on challenges.  And in order to overcome her fear of rejection, she trained herself to be grateful for the things she already had, tried to live in the moment, focused on being realistic and told herself that her happiness lies in her own hands and that the world does not end if someone disagrees or rejects you. What matters is being true to oneself and accepting that fact that you don’t have to please everyone.

By slowly and consciously working on herself, today Chinnmaye hopes that her little story can empower the rest of us to cope with our very own fears. She signs off saying “Remember if you wish to stand up – one woman, one situation, one circumstance, and one rejection cannot shake you – have a clear, relaxed state of mind to deal with uncertainties and that will help you build the inner strength you need to encounter defeats without getting defeated.”