Inse woke up feeling nervous. Today was the first day of fifth grade, and he was starting at a new school. He had always been shy and struggled to speak up in class. His older sister, Curity, had always been confident and outgoing. Inse admired her but couldn’t seem to find the same courage within himself.
As they walked to school, Inse and Curity chatted about their summer vacation. Inse listened attentively as Curity described all the exciting places she had visited. He wished he could be more like her, but he knew he wasn’t.
When they arrived at school, Inse’s heart began to race. The hallways were crowded with students, and he felt like he was getting lost in the sea of people. His palms were sweaty, and his stomach was in knots.
Curity noticed Inse’s discomfort and asked him what was wrong. Inse hesitated but eventually confided in her that he was nervous about speaking up in class. Curity listened and encouraged him to use the five transformations to overcome his fear.
“Inse, remember the first transformation,” Curity said. “Ignore the voice of insecurity telling you that you can’t do it.”
Inse nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to push aside the negative thoughts. He followed Curity to his classroom, where the teacher introduced him to the class.
As the day went on, Inse struggled to concentrate. He couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was watching him, judging him. When the teacher asked a question, Inse knew the answer but was too afraid to speak up.
Curity noticed Inse’s silence and leaned over to him. “Remember the second transformation,” she whispered. “Use the voice of insecurity as inspiration. What can you learn from it?”
Inse thought about it for a moment. He realized that his fear of speaking up came from a fear of being wrong. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the class.
The third transformation came to mind. Inse remembered that he had a voice of security within him, and he began to focus on that instead. He reminded himself of all the times he had done well in school and felt proud of himself.
With newfound confidence, Inse raised his hand and answered a question correctly. The class applauded, and Inse felt a surge of pride.
The fourth transformation was necessary now. Inse had to take action. He decided that he would try to speak up more in class, even if he wasn’t sure if he was right.
Over the next few days, Inse continued to practice using the five transformations. He found that he was starting to feel more comfortable speaking up in class. His teacher praised him for his participation, and he was even starting to make some new friends.
One day, Inse was struggling with a math problem. He had tried to solve it on his own but couldn’t figure it out. He was about to give up when Curity came into his room.
“Hey, Inse, what’s up?” she asked, noticing his frustration.
“I can’t figure out this math problem,” Inse said, feeling defeated.
“Remember the fifth transformation,” Curity said. “Befriend the two inner voices. You don’t have to do everything on your own. It’s okay to ask for help.”
Inse realized that Curity was right. He had been so focused on trying to do everything by himself that he had forgotten that he had people who could help him. He asked Curity for help with the math problem, and together they solved it.
From that day on, Inse felt more confident in himself. He continued to use the five transformations whenever he felt insecure or afraid, and he found that they always helped him.
The end.
