There is fun in fear

Dr Sumedha Kushwaha *

A cold winter afternoon invites thoughts from different corners of the mind. Scared spaces which inspire me and dingy corners that I would not want to visit.

As I write this piece, I can see snowfall and skyscrapers across the new city I have shifted to. It’s a new experience to settle down in a place you know no one.

And when I had come here three months back, I was so scared to even take a walk on the streets by myself alone, take the tram, and I would speak to people with suspicion. But now, I am confident about this place, the people and the system.

And it occurred to me, what would it be like to travel to another country and face similar challenges and prove to myself that it’s possible. I wish we understood that we are no more than travellers in life.

I feel till the time we step out of home, we don’t make one for ourselves. Life is short, take the chances you want to take, make the friends whom you admire, live life fully, try that expensive coffee in that new restaurant, make that YouTube video you have been dying to post, go for a long drive, do something different and challenge yourself.

When the ad for Mountain Dew said “Darr ke aagey jeet hai”, it sounded such a cliché, but now I fully understand the meaning of that statement. It is only in the mind that fear resides. When you are in the mode of doing – there is no fear!

Another significant thing that caught my attention this week was when my friend was telling me about his plan to change his job. And this discussion has been happening for over a year now. He cribs but never acts.

It was during that phone call, I understood an important aspect about life: Those who think too much, do Less. Those who do too much, Think less. And progress in life is about finding that subtle balance between thinking and doing.

If you find that, you will be eternally progressive. There will be obstacles in the path- but when you are too engrossed in the process of life, you don’t treat them like blocks.

It’s like the person in the match who shoots the perfect goal, and ironically he isn’t even aware of it! It's only people who are not involved in the process who can make that judgement or appreciation.

And this brings me to the next point of always looking at the situation from a bird eye view before even attempting to solve it. Because if you are a part of the problem, you will never be able to be a part of the solution.

It is only when you look at life’s problems objectively and in a detached way, will you be able to bring solutions to the table. And the solution is to make a plan and take concrete and worthwhile decision.

All these are parts of the puzzle that you need to put together.The good part is, there is no set design, no standard of analysis.So, no judgement!