Actor R Madhavan recently opened up about still feeling the butterflies in his stomach on the first day of a shoot for every new film, despite years of experience. “I feel I am naked on the first day of shoot in any film. The feeling has only increased with each passing year. I am very conscious about what the director, my team or the set is thinking,” he shared in Tamil in an interaction with Cinema Vikatan .

Surprisingly, he shared that this fear has intensified with age and experience. His confession challenges a comforting assumption: the more successful we become, the more confident we should feel. “Yet achievement can sometimes create a different kind of anxiety. A beginner fears never becoming good enough. An accomplished professional fears no longer being considered good enough,” said Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist, and relationship breakthrough coach.

Success changes what feels at stake. “Reputation must be protected, expectations maintained, and past achievements repeatedly justified.…