Epic Embarrassment

Hello, my name is Chetna. Today, I will share the most epic embarrassing moment of my life that changed my entire personality. I was in 11th standard (Class +1) at Ganta Ghar School, Kapurthala. Our school was invited, along with other schools in Kapurthala city, to participate in a debating competition. My teacher asked me to participate, and it meant a lot because I was never given a chance in Prita Lee Lesson School.

A little flashback: before joining Ganta Ghar School, I studied at Prita Lee Lesson School. I hate Prita Lee Lesson School with all my being. Even today, if I am stressed in life, I have nightmares about being back in that school. That was my personal experience, but in my opinion, that school was hell for me for two main reasons:

1. Insensitive teachers (except for three teachers I met there). Those three were my star teachers, and I respect them immensely. Apart from them, I felt that most of the other teachers lacked empathy and should not have been teaching.
2. The “tagging” system: If a child was given a tag, it stayed with them until they left the school. My tag was “absent-minded.” I was labeled absent-minded because my father passed away that same year. But instead of understanding my situation, they constantly reinforced that label.

For instance, if my mom couldn’t provide me with a new notebook immediately because she didn’t have a job, the teachers would scold me. Even when I tried to explain that I would bring it soon, they wouldn’t listen.

I hate that school, and I always will.

That said, I want to acknowledge the teachers who truly made a difference: Bhandari Sir (Science Teacher class 10th), Rajesh Sir (class 7th English teacher), and Maninder Madam (Class 3rd Science teacher). They were the best teachers I had there, and I respect them immensely. I still remember their names, unlike the ones who caused me so much pain—I’ve erased those from my mind. 

Back to our story, I was in 11th class, and my teacher at Ganta Ghar, Sapna Madam, asked me to participate. There was no “tag,” and I felt so happy to have that opportunity. However, I had no idea how to prepare. I wrote my speech and got it checked, but I didn’t rehearse it. Nor did I have any experience speaking in front of an audience. My English wasn’t very good either.

On the day of the competition, held at Science City, Kapurthala, I started my speech with a big smile. But as soon as I said the first line, I felt extremely nervous. The paper in my hand started shaking. I looked at the audience, and my nervousness only grew worse. My heart was beating so fast that I couldn’t say another word. Tears started streaming down my face.

In our neighborhood, there was a girl who participated in the same competition from another school. My mother told me to win because otherwise, the girl and her mom would make fun of us. So, I felt like I had disappointed my mom as well. I was shaking. The organizers gave me a sign to go behind the stage. I felt like a loser. I felt so embarrassed. That was the most embarrassing moment of my life.

When I went backstage, I started calling myself a loser. I was crying, but my classmates were very kind and supportive. They said positive things to console me. I remember one girl, Babita, in particular. She tried to calm me down by saying, “Nobody will remember this. It’s okay. It happens. It can happen to anyone. You are good.”

After some time, I gathered my courage and told the judges that I wanted to finish my speech, even though I didn’t want to win anything. I just asked for a chance to complete it. I went back on stage and finished my speech. For me, that was proof of my inner strength.

However, I wasn’t very good the second time either—I simply managed to finish. When I came back home, the neighborhood girl told her mom what had happened. Her mom, in turn, told my mom, “Chetna has a very small heart, a very weak heart.” My mom felt very bad hearing this.

I felt so defeated. I had no internet and no one to guide me on how to fix myself. But one thing was certain—I did not want to remain like this. I am not a nervous person. Being nervous does not help me. I have so many things I want to achieve in life, and being nervous will not take me anywhere.

I started writing in my notebook, “I am not a nervous person. I am a confident person. I am a confident person. I will be super confident.” I was crying as I wrote, but I kept writing. I wrote until the notebook was filled.

The result was pure magic. Without realizing it, I had stumbled upon something called affirmation. It is truly magical. Believe me, when you write something repeatedly in a notebook, with deep emotions and conviction, it will come true. It will come true.

Since then, I have used this method many times and always achieved magical results. The last thing I affirmed and made happen was finding true love and healthy communication. My husband appeared in my life when I asked for these two things.

The next thing I will affirm is losing 10 kilos. After that, I will affirm and manifest making millions of dollars. This formula always works.

There are three conditions for it to succeed:

1. You need the right mood to do it.
2. You need strong intention.
3. You need a deep desire to see it happen.

If you want it badly enough, it will happen.