Have you ever thought about doing something, but then decided against it because you were afraid of the outcome? You were afraid of failure, rejection, vulnerability, change, or what others would think. We each spend our lives making daily decisions that ultimately shape our future and the world we live in. Unfortunately, fear stops us from picking the option we really want to go for. Here are 20 times fear led you in the other direction:

1. You sat alone on the school bus instead of asking to sit next to a new face.
2. You stayed quiet after being bullied as a child.
3. You didn’t go on that roller coaster with all your friends.
4. You didn’t raise your hand in class.
5. You didn't tryout for varsity and decided to stay on JV.
6. You followed your parents’ dream instead of your own.
7. You weren't asked to the school dance, so you didn't go.
8. You wore what everyone else was wearing.
9. You tried a cigarette your freshman year of high school.
10. You never tried talking to the boy you thought was cute.
11. You took easy classes instead of honors and APs.
12. You only applied to colleges you knew you would get into.
13. You bought a gym membership but never went.
14. You didn’t leave your room the first month of college.
15. You continued trying to be like everyone else instead of yourself.
16. You didn’t ask him/her to your fall date night.
17. You made an excuse to not hang out every time he/she texted you.
18. You lied about your past to avoid judgment.
19. You didn’t apply for internships and decided to stay home all summer.
20. You never truly put yourself out there.

You were probably able to relate to some of these instances when fear got in the way. You might even spend countless nights pondering over where you would be if you had made a different choice. "Would I be at a different school? Would we be engaged in 5 years? Would I be a stronger, more successful person?" You can think about your past choices for as long as you want. You can even talk through them with you friends for hours, but you can never go back and change your decisions. Fear made your decisions, not you. Fear said to take the easy road and fear said to be someone you’re not. In a world as large as ours, we are constantly given opportunities. Whether we take them or not is usually determined by our fear. If fear was not a question, here is what these 20 instances could have been:

1. That other lonely girl on the school bus could have become a life long friend.
2. That bully could have been stopped for good.
3. You could have told everyone that you conquered the tallest roller coaster in the park.
4. You could have gained valuable knowledge by asking the teacher a question.
5. You could have been your school’s next varsity track star.
6. You could have been living out your own dreams right now.
7. That school dance could have been the night of your first kiss.
8. You could have worn your own style and started a new trend.
9. You could have fought the peer pressure and put down that first cigarette.
10. You could have been dating the boy/girl you had a crush on.
11. You could have learned so much more if you had taken those APs.
12. You could have attended a tier 1 college or university.
13. You could have been going to the gym and getting the body of your dreams.
14. You could have been making college memories that would last you a lifetime.
15. You could have found yourself instead of getting lost in the crowd.
16. You could have been asked to his date night after taking him to yours.
17. You could have been in the best relationship of your life.
18. You could have built honest friendships instead of ones based on lies.
19. You could have been making money to support your future.
20. You could have been the girlfriend, the leader, the best friend, or the top student.

But you weren't, all because fear got in the way. You were afraid you would fail the class, get rejected from your dream college, get made fun of by the other girls, get denied by your crush, make yourself vulnerable, or get judged by those around you. Never be afraid to be yourself and just do you. Forget about what others will think because at the end of the day the only person that matters in you. Yes, your family and friends are the most important people in your life, but don’t let them control you or your future. So the next time you make a decision, leave fear at the door. It has no place in your past, present, or future. The choice is yours.