Everyone goes through embarrassment in their lives. What's different is that you need to learn how to turn that incident into a learning experience. For this, I will share a quick story with you all.
It was your average summer day in sunny California. I was 6-years-old, and I was in summer school. I know shocker, right? Well, it happens to the best of us. Anyways, back to the story, I was sitting in class next to my buddy. Let's call him Richard because that's his name.
in walk these two older looking kids who came into the class and asked if anybody wanted to sign up for the school talent show. Here's my chance, I thought, time to show off my skills. I signed up to play the piano despite Richard telling me not to. Little known fact, I don't know how to play the piano. In fact, I didn't really have any talent at that time in my life. The day of the talent show comes around, and I'm super nervous. This would be my first time ever performing on stage, and it definitely wasn't going to be my last.
I hear my name called. I start to walk on stage, the lights were shining bright and it gave off this pleasant feeling of being at peace. Little did I know that it would be the complete opposite of what I expected. I sit down and started to play the piano. Well, maybe not play, more like bang. I started to bang on the piano like a complete moron. If Mozart was there, I'm sure he would be proud of what I accomplished. The rest of the student body did not seem to appreciate art and they all began to laugh at me, which to little 6-year-old Andy was not fun. I ran off the stage and cried my heart out. But that doesn't matter that much because I got one of my favorite candies (Nerds) for participating in the talent show. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have signed up for the talent show, but oh well. C'est La'vie. I regret nothing.
This kind of moment would scar a child for life. Thankfully, I was not scarred. I used that experience to make me better as a person. There's a lesson in everything. For example, do not be afraid of taking risks. There is always an incentive to do something. Just because you could get embarrassed in front of all your peers, does not mean you shouldn't do it. Yea, you might seem like a fool at first, but once you look back at it later in life, you realize that you didn't make a mistake. Not only do I never get nervous in front of crowds anymore, but I also have a great story to tell others. This was a life changing experience for me. To be completely honest, if I did not go through this moment of embarassment in my life, I would probably be completely different than I am now. The present me has a lot to thank for the past me. Change is good, and so is hardship. Every little experience in my life, whether good or bad, has always been a learning opportunity for me. It's not too late to reflect on the past and grow.
No fear.
