Fear keeps us from living a full life. There's little to explain why it's like the invisible elephant in the room. Why you hide away from something, hoping it'll go away, that the moment will pass. That you won't have to face it on the battlefield. Face it, fight it and you're on your way to being truly free. It's common wisdom, but something we learn from experience, as most of the stars listed here, will attest to. Read on as they share their fears and what they're doing to fight it....
Rani Mukerji
I have a fear of water and that's a fear I want to overcome. It's important for everybody to learn how to swim. I don't know how to and it's the only thing which I feel bad about. I have tried to work on this fear of mine and I have gone to the extent of learning to swim. Between each film, when there's a gap at each given point, I always try. Now I know how to float and it gives me happiness, but it would be better if I could do the actual strokes. But then, the fear catches up and I feel as if I am going to drown. This fear took root when I was pretty young. I was swimming and I had almost drowned. So, since that time I am trying to overcome my fear. The problem is the breathing technique in the water. I lose control each time I try the breathing technique in the water.
Shahid Kapoor
I fear the unknown, like most people. But at various stages, I have tried to overcome it. As a kid, I was scared of dark and then, I was also scared of heights. Being an actor has helped because you have to do things at various levels. I overcame the fear of heights when I got to fly the F16. I was scared to change myself, the way I look. But for Haider, when I had to go bald, I overcame that in a big way. The unknown is fearful, but overcoming it is a great feeling.
Sushant Singh Rajput
Well, I always had this fear of death. Everytime I nursed or realised a dream, I would feel very incomplete. This would always hurt my motivation and it was very disturbing. I came across a quote by Dorothy Thompson: Only when we are no longer afraid, do we begin to live. Something snapped and it has given me this temporary psychological security and I have started to enjoy life...
Jacqueline Fernandez
I've always had a fear of upsetting people, but I learnt that sometimes you got to be honest and do what's right for yourself instead of harming your well being for others as their motives might not always be in your best interest.
Riteish Deshmukh
The biggest hurdle for me was to get up on stage - battle the staring eyes and speak - right from school to college, I avoided getting on stage. When I was asked to host the IIFA awards - I didn't know how I would manage, but thanks to my friend Boman Irani and his million rehearsals, I overcame that fear. The key was to get on stage and make the staring eyes disappear and perform like no one's watching and to make them appear when you choose to. If you can control that, you control your fear and vice versa.
Sonam Kapoor
I had stage fright. I used to feel very shy to talk in front of people. I took my time and slowly overcame that fear.
Bipasha Basu
Fear of dependency. I am happy that as a woman of today I am financially independent and can provide for me and my family. Also, the fear of emotional dependency is less too. In life, happiness comes from within. No one but you can make yourself happy.
Ayushmann Khurrana
I'm hydrophobic because of a drowning incident during my school days. That's why I'm still a reluctant swimmer. Though I can swim a bit, it's my resolution this Independence Day to overcome this fear. I don't know how will I do it, but I will do it for sure.
Akshay Oberoi
I fear regret. I only live once in this body and mind, and I don't ever want to ask myself "what if..." So, I continue to take risks and follow my own path. I'm not afraid of failure, but afraid of defining success in the exact same way as everyone else does.
Richa Chadda
Before I moved to Mumbai, I was very spoilt and had a fear of living alone. I have overcome that fear over time and I really enjoy my bachelor life.
Prachi Desai
I have always had the fear of water and therefore haven't been able to enjoy swimming. I plan to take swimming seriously and as an incentive for myself, I am going to take a trip to the Great Barrier Reef to go scuba diving once I learn to swim.
Kay Kay Menon
My greatest fear is to forget that, as a human being, I am the root cause for all effects in this world. I overcome it by constantly reminding myself that 'the world is my projection'. So no 'show' outside of myself. None at all.
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