Transcriber: Federica Alabiso Reviewer: Jeong-han Kim
(Applause)
So, it was a normal school day.
I was working on a school project.
When suddenly my teacher asked me,
“Hey, Eva, would you like to sign up for this TEDx event?”
“I think you’d do great.”
Now, most of you in the audience would love to have this opportunity, right?
But for me, I didn't want to. Not one bit.
Everyone started saying, “Yeah, you should do it. You’re a great speaker.”
And I was afraid to admit it, but I was scared.
Scared of going on stage.
Scared of being judged.
Scared of public speaking.
Lots of people would say, “Oh, it’s no big deal, just go for it,” right?
But it was a big deal to me.
On the bus home, I cried by myself because I was stuck in this dilemma.
I knew that this would be such a great opportunity for me.
And everyone was pressuring me to do it.
But I was scared.
One thing that outweighed all of the benefits.
I called my best friend and asked him what to do.
And he said something that will stay in my heart for the rest of my life.
He said, “Do what you think is right.”
“I know that you know what is right, but it’s up to you to decide what to do.”
Despite that being a bit of a tongue twister,
it meant the world to me.
Because this is what got me here,
on this stage, talking to all of you now.
I thought about what I knew would be good for me.
And then I realized...
If I keep on running away from my fears, I won’t get anywhere.
So I decided to face my fears, and, meanwhile, help others do that too.
One question you might have is, “Why should I bother?”
“Why should I spend my precious time doing this?”
Well, the thing is, you might not notice how much some fears can impact your life.
For example, stage fright.
Stage fright is something we all have to a certain extent.
And it can impact your performance on stage.
As well as close off so many opportunities that could be beneficial to you.
Same goes for many other fears, in different ways.
So now you know why.
But how? How can you face your fears without chickening out?
Well, one thing that I have found is that you need a spark,
a push to get you started.
It’s the driving force.
It's what pushes you to face your fears.
It can be from something you’ve heard, something you’ve read.
Something your friends told you.
It can even come spontaneously to you in the middle of the night.
Whatever that spark in you is,
you need to find it, because it is essential to get started.
Once you have set off, what next?
Well, you have to search for opportunities.
Ways that you can face your fears.
If it’s stage fright, find somewhere to sing, act or dance.
Or even just stand somewhere and talk like I’m doing.
If it’s a fear of being judged, then do something wild in public,
regardless of what others might think of you.
If you can’t bring yourself to do something like that, it’s fine.
You can ask your friends or family to give you a little nudge
in the right direction, or if you think you need more time, no worries.
Try again later.
It will take multiple tries to really make a difference.
But each time is an achievement to be proud of.
I myself took quite a while to bring myself to do this talk.
I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
My friends, my family, my teachers and even some YouTube videos
all have played a big part in helping me come out here.
If you need help with motivation, you can tell yourself, “I’m amazing.”
“I can do this.” Because you can.
I believe in you, all of you.
Everyone has the potential to overcome their fears.
Another thing that my friends and I do is that if one is feeling demotivated
or down in the dumps,
we say “Hwaiting” to each other, which basically means “We can do this!”
Or “Let’s go.”
It really cheers each other up.
It’s just one word, but you’d be surprised at how much a word can do.
My point is find something that motivates you a lot.
Because motivation is what helps you to push yourself to try.
OK, let’s say you’ve done it.
You faced your fears successfully.
And you didn’t make a fool of yourself.
What next?
You should be done by now, right?
But no, it’s not quite like that.
You have to continue.
And though it’s hard, it’s necessary.
It’s like learning a new skill.
For example, you’re learning a new instrument.
You successfully play your first note.
Now, what? Are you just going to quit and say, “I’m done”?
Of course not.
You’re going to continue, to get better and better.
The same applies for overcoming your fears.
The first step was facing your fear.
Now it’s time to truly overcome it.
Overcoming a fear doesn't mean facing it.
Overcoming a fear means you face it again and again until it's not a fear anymore.
It’s something you would casually do once in a while.
Then, you have truly climbed to the top.
This part is probably the hardest, and it's easy to give up here.
After all, it takes an immense amount of effort
to do something that your brain repeatedly tells you not to.
But don’t give up.
If you give up now, all your effort will be for nothing.
So, how do you reach the point where you’re truly unafraid anymore?
It’s simple: practice, practice, practice.
Find more ways to face your fears.
Make new friends, join the singing club. Whatever you think could help.
And don’t limit yourself to just one activity.
Go wild and have fun while you're at it.
Once you overcome your fear, many opportunities are opened,
that you never even thought you could do.
It could become a hobby or even a career.
For example, if you’re afraid of spiders like I am.
Once you overcome that fear, you could have a pet shop full of spiders.
Who knows? The possibilities are endless.
No matter what fear you overcome, no matter how big or how small,
the benefits will be huge.
Your self-esteem, your determination, confidence, perseverance,
all of those will be greatly improved.
Now, before I go, I have a challenge for you.
Think of a fear.
One that would be reasonable for you to overcome.
I want you to face this fear.
Then, overcome it.
You can do it.
I believe in you, all of you.
If you need help, you can ask your friends, family.
Or even come back to this TED Talk,
as well as dozens of other talks that talk about perseverance,
motivation and so on.
They helped me on my journey and they might help you on yours, too.
Once you successfully overcome your fear, congratulations!
You’ve completed one of the hardest challenges in life.
And maybe, after this experience, you could help others too.
Thank you.
(Applause)