Facing your fears

When I was studying for my business degree, and learning all about entrepreneurship, one of the standouts for me, was an understanding that the one thing that holds most people back is FEAR. And this is so true. So many people have great ideas, are full of creativity and drive, but not all of us have the courage to go out on a limb and put that idea into action.

This really resonated with me as I was a very fearful child, and I was reminded of this reading an article about Ed Sheeran being the latest celebrity to star on CBeebies Bedtime Story, telling a tale about a boy with a stutter.

When I grew up I was fearful of so many things, spiders, the dark, to name but a few, but the fear that impacted every waking moment was that someone would hear my stammer.

I had a bad stammer, and I did everything I could to hide it. I have vivid memories still of avoiding speaking in class, speaking in convoluted and muddled sentences to avoid words that I struggled with, and making decisions in my life based on whether I would have to speak in public or use the telephone. These were always difficult situations for me.

This was a massive mistake, which is precisely why using Ed Sheeran as such an instantly recognisable yet down-to-earth spokesperson to talk about such a surprisingly common yet debilitating condition on CBeebies was such inspired thinking.

Tackling these topics head on is essential if we’re to help children be more open about their various ‘perfectly natural’ fears.  Today we live in a such an overly choreographed, image conscious society that it’s essential that we take every opportunity to reconnect our children to the realities of our ‘imperfect’ world, a place devoid of retouched images and overly manicured celebrity profiles.

I learnt the hard way that trying to hide a perceived deficiency and all the associated fears this unwittingly manifests, makes any uncomfortable situation even worse. I had to wait until my 20’s when I could pay for speech therapy to finally discuss this topic with friends and family. As soon as I did, it became much less of a problem. Looking back, I can only see so many wasted years of needless anguish!

Educating young children about stammering, like any other disability, will help stop children being so cruel, as we know they can be, behaviour fuelled by a lack of information and understanding. Even adults can sometimes be judgemental. How often have I read about Joe Biden who sounds ‘sleepy, ‘old ‘drunk’ when slurring his speech. These are clearly essential mechanisms for him to help overcome his stammer, and what he has accomplished notwithstanding a stammer (and other personal traumas) is nothing shy of incredible.

There have been many pivotal people in our history who have had a stammer, and we are all learning more through films like ‘The King’s Speech’ and the work of Joe Biden.  That said, using such a current and approachable role model as Ed Sheeran to both educate and foster important conversations is honestly inspired.

 I have always loved Ed for his music and now my adoration grows. Which reminds me I must buy his new album!