Inse sat at his desk, fingers tapping against his textbook. Another lesson, another wave of nerves. His teacher’s eyes scanned the room.
“Please don’t call on me, please don’t call on me…”
“Inse, what do you think?”
His heart pounded. He knew the answer, but his mind went blank. “Uh… I—um…” His teacher moved on with a sigh.
At lunch, Curity sat beside him. “Rough day?”
Inse sighed. “Yeah. I get nervous when my teacher calls on me. And when I do answer, she looks disappointed.”
Curity tilted her head. “What do you think your insecurity is trying to tell you?”
Inse blinked. “Trying to tell me? It’s just making me feel bad.”
Curity shook her head. “Not really. That’s 5 TFM—Befriend Your Inner Voice. Instead of fighting your insecurity, listen to it. Maybe it’s telling you something important.”
Inse considered that. “Maybe… it’s saying I need to tell my teacher how I feel.”
Curity smiled. “Exactly.”
The next day, after class, Inse took a deep breath and approached his teacher.
“Um, Ms. Carter? Can I talk to you for a minute?”
She nodded. “Of course, Inse.”
He hesitated, but then, remembering what Curity had said, he spoke up. “I get really nervous when I’m called on. I think it’s because I don’t always have time to organize my thoughts. Could I get a signal before you ask me something? Just so I can prepare?”
His teacher’s face softened. “I had no idea you felt that way. I’d be happy to try that.”
Inse exhaled in relief. His voice of insecurity had led him to a solution.
That afternoon, Curity grinned. “Well?”
Inse grinned back. “I listened to my insecurity, and it actually helped. My teacher’s going to give me a signal before calling on me.”
Curity clapped. “That’s 5 TFM, Inse. When you listen to your inner voice, instead of fighting it, you learn from it.”
Inse walked home feeling something he hadn’t before—not just relief, but confidence.
His inner voice wasn’t just fear. It was part of him. And today, they had worked together.
This story focuses on 5 TFM – Befriend Your Inner Voice, helping Inse recognize that his insecurity isn’t the enemy—it’s a part of him that, when listened to, can guide him toward growth! 😊
