Aditya Birla Group - Inspiring My Life All The Way - Soumya Ranjan Sarangi, IIM Visakhapatnam

So, From the ULTRA TECH cement used in our houses to the food wraps of my mom’s delicious meals in FRESHWRAPP. From the trendy clothes worn by me brought from PETER ENGLAND, ALLEN SOLLY, etc. to the long night calls with friends on my favorite operator VODAFONE. Everything and more all come under Aditya Birla Group. They made my life a little easier every day without me, even realizing it. So, thank you ABG for your part in changing lives one life at a time every moment.

How I was able to overcome one of my biggest fears?

“The Hardest Walk Is Walking Alone. But It’s Also The Strongest. If you don’t challenge yourself, you will never realize what you can become.”

Challenges are part and parcel of life. Avoiding them is inevitable. Being able to overcome them or accepting defeat is an option. Now, when it comes to my bucket list of challenges I had to overcome stage fright comes to the top of my mind. Stage fright is something most people can relate to. There is always something scary about standing in front of a whole lot of people with their eyes glued to you. The burden of expectations and desire to avoid mistakes add on to the pressure pile.

Now, this is something I had to face first hand during my childhood days. A fifth grader with a happy go life attitude when asked to anchor an annual event for the school was a moment of joy for me. Scripts were prepared, and practice simulations were done. Everything seemed easy-peasy until the day arrived. A glimpse of the long row of faces in the audience and the pressure of having to perform in front of them of which most of them might recognize me. Truth just hit me, and I could feel my legs turning numb and mouth running dry. I had my teachers and seniors walk up to me and cheer me up, saying how I am supposed to enjoy the experience.

I walked on to the stage and ended up fumbling my first words itself.  All sort of negative thoughts went through my mind. It was a pin drop silence. I went through my memories of practice and juggled through my options. Either I could choose to stand my ground or back up the stage. I ended up deciding to stay and laughed about my fumble by cracking a joke on myself. This got the audience rolling, and I got back my confidence. The rest of the night ended up as a blast. I ended up entertaining the crowd more than I imagined, and over the years of my experiences, this has a special memory in my life. It not only helped in building the current skills but also helped in developing my current personality.

The takeaway remains not to be afraid of failure. It’s not the mistake but the fear of it that stops us from expressing our mind when up on the stage. Everyone makes mistakes; it’s about how we handle them.