The Mind Reader- Part 1
‘….and thus began this journey! After 11 years of being the timid and shy girl, who never once mustered enough courage to stand up and voice her thoughts, I had managed to not just go up on stage and argue with twenty five other debate contestants, but also win the debate! It was all due to a simple shift in mindset, but a difficult one nevertheless. Now you may ask, what was it that changed in me and what was it that catalyzed that change? What changed was my fear of people’s opinions. Fear of what people thought about me, uncertainty about the outcome of my task and apprehensions about my peer’s judgments. And the catalyst that assisted this change was a tiny but impactful quality hidden in me - self confidence. Embracing this confidence and letting go of my fear of judgement, I went on to unleash my public speaking skills and never looked back. Letting go of that irrelevant baggage of nervousness was the first and most important step in my journey!…….”
I finished my first ever TED Talk and stepped off the stage, beaming at the overwhelming response and thunderous applause. It had been quite a journey till here and I was glad I had decided to face my fears and overcome them.
Just as the event came to an end and I was packing my bag, I heard a bunch of enthusiastic teenagers laughing and chatting a little behind me.
“She is such an eloquent speaker!”
I suddenly heard these words and turned around, looking for the person who had complimented me. Surprisingly, no one was even looking at me, leave alone talking to me!
Assuming I had imagined it, I got up to get myself a cup of coffee. Just then, I heard another sentence, immediately followed by another. I looked around, frantically looking for the source of these words, but didn’t see anyone. The words seemed to be echoing in my mind and I felt as though only I could hear them. It seemed stupid and illogical, how could I hear stuff that was not being spoken out loud?
Just then, a young girl walked up to me and introduced herself.
“I absolutely loved your talk, it was so inspiring!”, she said. I thanked her with a warm smile and was about to leave when I suddenly heard her voice again.
“What kind of an outfit has she worn! Who pairs a black skirt with a green top!?”
Stunned by the remark, I turned around. To my astonishment, the girl had walked away and there was no one there. Then whom had I heard!?
Perplexed and lost in thought, I made my way to the cafe. Was I hearing things?? Had I started hallucinating?
But surprisingly, it wasn’t just these doubts that were driving me mad. It was also the comment I had heard from that girl! How could she criticize my outfit? Was I actually looking bad? Was it a weird combination of clothes that I had worn??
As I was driving back home, my mind was engaged in a heated debate. Very soon, my concern about the criticism overpowered my fear of beginning to hallucinate and I was plunged into an emotional tornado of disappointment, worry and confusion. What if she wasn’t the only person who felt my outfit was mismatched. What if the others were also criticizing me, not just for my outfit, but for the way I spoke or the facts I mentioned. How was I to know what people were thinking behind my back!?
Almost as though someone was answering my question, I suddenly heard a voice,
“She was fluent and confident in her speech, no doubts about that. But why does she have to boast so much? Its not like only she can achieve those great heights!”
I had barely digested these lines when I started hearing a guy’s voice,
“Reaching these heights of success at such a young age must require so much of determination and confidence. I am glad I got to hear her talk today, I am so inspired and motivated to do more now” the voice said.
My joy at having found someone who supported me was immediately replaced by an overwhelming sense of panic. I had suddenly understood what these voices signified and where they were coming from. I realized that I had started hearing people’s thoughts! I could hear all their opinions, views and impressions as well as hear their innermost thoughts, stuff they refused to admit to anyone in public! I was horrified! All my past dreams of wanting to be able to read people’s minds and have telepathic connections vanished in a second as I came to terms with the reality of the situation I was in!
I realized that I had been happy listening to people’s sugar coated lies and didn’t want to know what people thought or spoke about me behind their backs. I realized that I had been okay listening to people criticize me on my face and try to pull me down, but this was a different experience and I was not ready for it. The fact that people could be so two- faced and unpredictable shook me to the roots and I had no words to express myself. It seemed like I had been pushed to the end of the road and had no where left to go…
Want to know what happens after this? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
