Today i want to tell you a story about a girl called shy.
Shy's a good friend of mine.
An avid reader, dancer and loves the color red.
An interesting cookie, that one. And i love the way she delivers her speeches.
Shy can talk in front of a room full of people without as much as a flinch.
Shy knows how to alter the timbre and quality of her voice.
She can command, and demand attention , when she wants you to listen to her. Shy oozes confidence.
She can instruct, and invite you to a world of knowledge - giving you snippets of information on things you'd probably never have thought of.
She can be a storyteller, and make you feel a part of her tale - spinning a web of emotions around you as she enthralls you deeper and deeper into her story.
She can walk up to an audience member at any time and say - "How you doing?" and make it seem like it has something to do with her speech.
Oh and Shy can tell a joke at her own expense. ;)
Shy can engage an audience.
Shy can share. Shy can inspire. She can create visions of her stories in your head and transport you to another world.
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Take one glance at Shy, and you'll be rest assured that she pretty much knows the tricks of the trade.
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But take a look deeper.. And you'll realize - - Shy is not all that she appears to be.
So at any social gathering, for convenience sake, let's consider this very meeting.
She walks up to the host, and says -
'Hi.' < looking sheepish, playing with fingers, fidgeting>
'Nice meeting.. u hosted it pretty well.'
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'So which service line are you in?'
'I am in AMS.'
' Oh ok.. i am in HRT. Workday.. it's very similar to SAP, for HR module.. '
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Awkward silence....uncomfortable smiles,... shifting of steps...
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Shy is thinking of something clever to say. What happened to all those .... those things she had learnt..., she could come up with the most absurd relations at those godforsaken inpromptu speeches! ughh! think! think! .. oh god!!! What should i say?
What do i do! come on.. relax. calm yourself down..!
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"So anyway, I have a meeting to attend.. soo... i'll see you later then!"
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And Shy walks away - disappointed, ... at yet another failed attempt.
After all those tries. And all those books. And all that practice - of smiling and talking to herself, looking into the mirror -
And all those times when she'd said to herself - it's okay. There's nothing wrong with you.
Shy simply walks away - feeling defeated - once again.
Shyness.
A character trait so stigmatized by our society that it sometimes borders on the term 'disease' , or 'social anxiety disorder'.
Some people even go so far as to believe that extreme shyness is a SCOURGE on the American population,
and that it is the third largest of the mental disorders, after only depression and alcoholism..
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So today, let's talk about that girl.
That girl - who can deliver a speech with aplomb but always finds herself sitting in a corner at every gathering, only smiling when someone talks to her.
That girl - who gets feels a sense of panic every time she walks into a room full of people where she is 'supposed' to socialize.
That girl - who comes home feeling dejected after every party. she calls up her best friend and speaks to him, to make herself feel better - and tells herself - i am normal. there is someone who i can speak to, who can understand what i am going through and that it's okay to feel this way.
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And Shy cries.
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But Shy wakes up. And Shy tries.
Tries harder, each day.
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Shy dapples with this question on a regular basis. But she still hasn't been able to find an answer.
And she wants to tell you that most of the time when she says she has an urgent appointment/ or pretends to talk on the phone, she's really just petrified of you.
And she wants to make you realize that she isn't a snobbish person! So bear with her. Don't dismiss her as someone who doesn't care. Because you couldn't be more wrong.
Shy wants to shout out to you and the rest of this world - that hey! you know what? 'quiet' is not 'boring'!! Just give us a chance.
Be patient. And listen.
The only thing you can accuse her of is that she's still figuring out - How to say it.
Thank you.
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