“Everything in this life is fraught with fear. It is renunciation alone that makes one fearless.”
— Swāmi Vivekānanda
At age 16, Ghanshyam Das (GD) Birla set up his jute trading company in India. Come the First World War, the demand for jute soared, and GD and his family members made a handsome fortune.
After the war, GD wanted to invest those profits in a jute factory in Kolkata, but he struggled to break the Scottish monopoly that governed the sector. Each time he bought some land to start a mill, the Scots (Andrew Yule, in particular) would buy land around it to cut off his access to the road.
Even when GD did manage to buy land along a curve on the Hooghly River, he was obstructed by sky-high bank interest rates, transport fares (especially for river traffic), and machinery costs—all attempts by the British to thwart an Indian entry into what had been their monopoly all along.
The project became unviable for GD, and, in despair, he agreed to sell the factory to Andrew Yule. When GD walked into the offices to finalize the deal, the Scottish manager berated him for even thinking about starting a jute mill. Stung, he retracted his offer and resolved to break the jute monopoly, whatever it took.
Two years later, Birla set up a shiny new plant in Gwalior which eventually became one of the country’s largest composite textile mills. Meanwhile, Andrew Yule had suffered in the postwar depression and needed cash to pay its debts. That was when GD proudly stepped up to buy its cotton mill, effectively turning the tables on the Scottish company.
Surely, GD had his fair share of fears, doubts, and humiliation while trying to overcome the numerous obstacles he faced. At any point, he could’ve thrown in the towel and no one would’ve faulted him (and he almost did). But he could overcome the fear rather than letting it occupy the space in his mind needed to achieve his goal.
To feel afraid is natural, to give in to that fear is a choice. When you know you must do something, overcome fear by reminding yourself of Richard Branson’s quote, “Screw it, let’s do it.”