During my childhood, since my father was in the armed forces, I ended up moving cities and schools a few times.
And whenever I started a new school, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. In the first few days of a class, if I raised my hand to answer a question, I kept doing that for the rest of the class year.
However, if for some reason I stayed quiet in the first few days (e.g., if the teacher was a strict one), the hesitation set in and I got into the habit of hiding in the back benches.
And this wasn’t just me – everyone showed the exact same behavior.
Also, this is not a childhood quirk – even as adults, we continue to do this in our daily lives.
Why does this happen?
When you try to hide from a challenge, the experience of raising your hand becomes unfamiliar. And what feels unfamiliar, feels scary.
The fears holding us back in life often come not from the underlying danger but from unfamiliarity. It could be something as simple as public speaking. Or writing your first blog post.
Once you face your fear, it vanishes – now it is just an experience. Like soap bubbles, these fears burst the moment you touch them.
So raise your hand. Stand up and be counted. Do things you have long wanted to do but have been hesitating to.
Just do it once. The fear will go. And you will be free.
– Rajan