All kinds of situations can lead to embarrassment.
These can range from your first kiss – to interviewing for a job which you are unsuited to. No doubt you can bring to mind countless other personal examples. Some of them may even be painful to recall.
However, have you considered that your susceptibility to embarrassment may be holding back your chances of success in life?
If you are prone to embarrassment, then you may unconsciously be avoiding (and even fearing) circumstances that might be necessary for your success. You may also be demonstrating to others your lack of self-belief and confidence.
Let’s take a deeper look now into this important subject, and see how you may be able to turn embarrassment into achievement.
Don’t let embarrassment stop you from following your dreams
“The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional to the embarrassment he can tolerate.” – Douglas Engelbart
From a young age, we quickly learn that saying the wrong thing can lead to people mocking or even laughing at us. And how about when we choose to behave differently to others? This can rapidly bring scorn and ridicule to our door. It’s sad, but true.
We can pretend that we live in a free world, but the reality for most of us, is that we are heavily conditioned by society, media and culture.
Perhaps you’re happy to conform, but you do so at the risk of missing out on your best chances of success.
Being easily embarrassed, means that you probably avoid situations that lead to this crippling emotional state. For example, if you are overly self-conscious, then you may regularly turn down social invitations. Yet, these social occasions may allow you to build friendships and networks that could springboard you to success.
Luckily, there are proven ways to conquer embarrassment.
Take these 5 steps to overcome embarrassment
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
What do you see when you look at highly successful people?
In most cases, you’ll see confident, energetic individuals who appear to have powerful self-belief. Rarely will you see these people looking fearful or embarrassed.
To emulate their personal magnetism, adopt the 5 steps below:
- Be yourself – Reject conformity. Let your true, authentic self come to the fore.
- Be persistent – Don’t let defeat crush you. Instead, get straight back up again.
- Be confident – Hold your head up high. Be bold, be strong.
- Be humorous – Lighten the mood. Laughter is a winning medicine.
- Be free – Reach for your dreams. Keep your mind above limitations.
Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect major changes overnight. However, if you keep pushing your personal boundaries – then you’ll definitely find yourself becoming a stronger and more outgoing individual.
It’s worth highlighting several famous, successful people who have openly admitted to being either introverted or lacking in confidence:
- Frederic Chopin
- Albert Einstein
- Abraham Lincoln
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- J.K. Rowling
- Dr. Seuss
- Mark Zuckerberg
These famous people didn’t allow their self-consciousness to prevent them from aiming for the stars. They followed their dreams and allowed their lives purpose to be manifested. They could have chosen to hide their talents behind closed doors, but instead, they let their light shine for all to see.
Learn from these successful people, and refuse to allow embarrassment to hold you back. Break free. Climb higher. And enjoy the trip!
Embarrassment is natural, but being easily embarrassed is likely to be a hindrance to your success. Step beyond embarrassment, and you’ll be amazed at how much more you can achieve in your life, and how much happier you will be too.
