7.442 billion people live in this world right now. Every single one of those people have been afraid of something or will soon. Having a fear or phobia of something can be funny to those who don’t have it but extremely terrifying for the ones who do. I know that I am extremely horrified by worms and scared of heights. Those aren’t the only things I am afraid of, but that’s a story for another time. Everyone gets scared of something for a reason and can overcome that either by the same reason or a different one. Besides fear and phobias, people are afraid to try situations and events but are instantly glad they have done so after. Many people have told me about their experiences and how they have overcome their fear.

Even though we live in Indiana, people still fear stuff that exists only outside of Indiana. For example, Mckayla Thompson is terrified of sharks and needles. Mckayla’s phobia is feet. Every time she hears the word “needle”, she imagines it going through her vein. We have all cried at least once while getting our shots, but some adjust a little slower than others. However, the more Mckayla gets her shots, the easier it is for her. “I needed to realize the fear of it to recognize that it’s not that bad,” said Mckayla.

Same goes for Charity Cicalo. Charity is involved in many sports. One of the sports Charity does includes Kung Fu. She was terrified to compete in Kung Fu for she did not want to get badly injured like most others who do this sport. Once she went to her first competition, Charity was at ease. “I was afraid to start competing in Kung Fu because I didn’t want to get hurt, but I realized at some point that I needed to start facing my fears and do what I was afraid to do, so I decided to start competing in a few divisions. After a year of competing, I got my first state and national title.”

For every rising star football and baseball players, their biggest fear would be injuring their arm. This is so for Reece Rodabaugh. Reece has been given a scholarship to Purdue for his phenomenal plays as a pitcher. His phobia is also feet and spiders. Reece says he is also not a big heights guy but went cliff hanging with his friends for a good time. Even though he was absolutely terrified, he overcame his fear for a once in a lifetime kind of fun with his friends.

Everything we are and have done is usually because of our parents. So what would happen if you were all alone without your parents, even if you guys didn’t get along all the time. Josie Woolever’s biggest fear is losing her parents. Her phobia is feet as well. All of Josie’s fears are relatable because her other big fear is public speaking. Who likes to speak to a large crowd of people? Not me or Josie. However, Josie had to speak publicly for a class of hers and overcame that fear. Speaking in front of her class helped her overcome her fear of public speaking because this allowed her to feel more comfortable and get the familiarity of it so that she could do it again sometime.

In conclusion, I think that trying what you are afraid of can help you overcome it. Try things you have never even thought of doing before. Live life to the fullest but also be smart about it. Life is all about adventures you will remember during your toughest times, so I dare you to do what you have never done. I was terribly afraid of heights, and still am, but went zip-lining for the fun of it and because it was an opportunity I didn’t know if I would ever be able to do again.