We're all afraid of something, whether it be heights, confinement to small spaces, spiders, sharks, small dogs in doll clothing. Fear is universal. It is shared by all and yet unavoidable for much the same reason. We are a community of people afraid of many things collectively, a global assembly of individuals who hide under their bed in a thunderstorm and are consistently equipped with a spare change of underwear.

If the title of this article's reference is lost on you, allow me to — briefly — explain. Hunter S. Thompson was a magnificent novelist. Read: drug-addled but creative beyond compare — who wrote the novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He also wrote The Rum Diaries. Both of these novels saw adaptations featuring Johnny Depp as the lead.

Please do not cast Johnny Depp in the adaptations of this fear article. Please do not adapt this fear article. You surely have better things to do with your time.

My writing this today is both to explore the concept of self-doubt as it relates to generalized fear, but also to announce a change in the life of yours truly, a rather drastic one if I may say so. I'll be kind and not leave you wondering very long. I am moving. Where are you moving, Chase? Good question, Hypothetical Conversation Partner. I have no freaking clue. Or do I?

For those of you unaware, film is perhaps my greatest passion. That or food. And, unfortunately, I cannot form a career around eating food. Trust me. I've looked into it.

Neither is realistic if I'm being honest. But dreams are dreams and a dream you don't chase can make reality a nightmare. I could never forgive myself if I never tried to be who I want to be if I refused to take that leap of faith and put myself out there. I believe goals are worth fighting for to achieve and that is what I plan to do.

The problem I face here is that Maine is not ideal for networking with individuals in the film industry. Is it impossible? No. But I stand a much better chance of rubbing elbows with Hollywood execs in... well, Hollywood.

I had had my mind made up that I would be moving to New York this summer, and while it is not entirely out of the question, I am certainly leaning more toward Los Angeles. It makes more sense in terms of the screenwriting community and job market, and the proximity to studios and like-minded professionals is unprecedented.

Yay! Chase finally has his life figured out. Except not. I thought New York was the right place for me. I thought being surrounded by police sirens and crowded public transportation would suit me. And that is not to say it would not. I just think LA is the better option for what I want to do with my life.

I think deep down I knew that but had always had this idea in my head that I would move to NYC. I think I was too afraid or proud to admit that I was wrong.

My biggest concern is the distance from home. Sure, I'll make new friends and all that, but nothing ever really compares to your family, to the places you've known your whole life and the friends who have stuck by you through it all.

Home is a cheaper flight or bus or train ride away whereas getting to LA on a short notice is not going to be cheap. However, I think LA is closer to home in other ways. Sure, it'll actually be warm for more than three months out of the year and snow might as well be a Greek word for LA residents, but I can drive around in California, I can stay in a house with new friends and go hiking on the weekend.

Basically, I took a long sit-down with myself, through in a little pros and cons analysis and here I am. So, fear.

I am afraid.

I can admit that.

I'm afraid of what might happen if I fail, or if something happens to someone I love back home and I can be there to help, or if I hate it and realize I made an absolutely horrible mistake.

But, with great fear comes great responsi- Just kidding. Fear generally sucks. But it is an excellent motivator. I know that what I want to do is impractical, so I have to BE practical. I can't just put all my eggs in one basket and cry when none of them hatch. Then I'd just have rotten eggs and a wet t-shirt.

My lesson, so to speak, for this week, is that you need to acknowledge fear, but not be controlled by it. Don't let it push you around or bully you into thinking you are incapable of achieving your goals. Because the truth is, that fear is you. And if you surrender to it, you ultimately cede to yourself.

We are our own greatest enemies, after all.

Don't defeat yourself before you've even given yourself a chance. Self-doubt is probably my greatest weakness and it's taken me much longer to admit that than it should have. I have about as much confidence as I have signed memorabilia from Audioslave. I have one. I don't know how that translates into a measurement of confidence, but... look! A squirrel!

The way I see it, you can be ruled by fear or you can rule, with fears. It's all in the delivery.

This is also my last article, so there's that.

Go out there, friends, and live your lives. I will too.