We’ve all got something we’re afraid of, whether it's spiders or checking your MyUNLV account after enrolling in classes. Everyone in the world fears something, and for the most part that’s okay, because it’s human. It’s normal to be scared because it’s a cardinal emotion. But have you ever really wondered why you were scared of something? For example, why are you so afraid of spiders? I understand they can be creepy, and to be honest I think 8 legs is a little excessive, but are they really THAT scary? Fear is a state of mind, it’s an emotion that we conjure up ourselves. Fear doesn’t exist unless we allow it to. So I’ve made a list for you. These are some of the things that you really shouldn’t be afraid of, and trust me, you’ll feel a whole lot better once you realize that fear doesn’t have to be a permanent state of mind.

1. Being Alone.

Let’s be honest, society has done a pretty bang up job with making us believe that being alone means that we’re doing something wrong. We’ve grown up thinking that having a million friends increases our value. This is all wrong. Yes, having friends is cool and being in a relationship can be amazing but so can being alone. Being by yourself can be calming and also a learning experience. You learn to enjoy your own company and you also get to escape into your own thoughts. There’s no one that you have to constantly entertain. Besides, if you love yourself, then you’re never truly alone.

2. Rejection/Your Emotions

I have yet to meet someone that isn’t afraid of rejection. I also have yet to meet someone who isn’t afraid of their emotions. If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone post about how they have no feelings or how they would be happier if they didn’t have a heart or whatever nonsense, I would have enough to pay off everyone’s student loans . I used to have the hardest time telling people how I felt because I was so afraid that the feelings would be unrequited, but I ended up missing out on a ton of opportunities and was left with a bunch of “what ifs.” Yes, feelings can hurt, but you want to know what hurts more? Never knowing what could have been. Never knowing what you and that person could have been, because you were too afraid to say something! I don’t know about you, but I would much rather live with rejection than live with regret.

3. Failing.

“The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fell.”

This quote helped me overcome my fear of failure. No one is perfect. Those people you see on the television or hear on the radio that make hits and live in castles and have 18 cars have all failed before. Success cannot be appreciated with the absence of failure. How will you ever accept success unless you have failed? It’s okay to fail, but it isn’t okay to stay on the ground. Get up, and if you fall again, get up again. The only thing that matters is that you use that failure as motivation. Fear of failure only hinders the success you were made for.

4. Cutting Ties.

I am guilty of being involved in relationships/friendships that have made me stress and worry more than I should. I was afraid to cut these people off because they were my “friends” and I didn’t want to lose them, but keeping them around only made me feel like crap. Once I finally had the courage to cut these people out of my life, I noticed a significant change in my mood and attitude. Cutting ties does not only apply to people, it can be anything in your life that does not feed your happiness. Cut out the negativity and all of the people who bring you down. If you find yourself alone after making these cuts, just refer back to number one on this list.

5. Death.

I think people fear death because they believe that they have not yet accomplished all that they need or want to. It is scary that death can come at any moment, but what’s scarier is living a life so in fear of death that you forget to live. We should be living as if we’re going to die at any moment. Stop waiting to do the things you want and go out and do them. Tomorrow is never promised, but death is. We all die in the end but if we’ve lived a life worth living than death has no residency in our home of fear. Stop fearing something that you have no control over and go out there and start making every second of your life count.

6. Saying No.

Have you ever noticed how many times you’ve truly wanted to say no to something, but ended up saying yes because you didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings? Or maybe you just didn’t want to seem anti-social? I’ve heard stories of people who’ve attended parties because their friends begged them to, and they obliged just to make that friend happy. I’ve heard people accepting invitations to a date because they didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. Although it is nice of you to put others first, you also have to stop and think about what YOU want. It’s okay to say no. In fact, you can say no as much as you want. If your friends are really your friends, they’ll respect your answer and leave it at that. At some point you have to do what you want to do and stop trying to please others.