>>17318892
The fear of failure is often far worse than the failure itself. Understand this. It doesn't mean fuck all in the grand scheme of things. Why? Take a look at insanely successful people. Each and every single one of them has failed at first before they got to where they're at.

Bill Gates? His first business was a massive failure.
Warren Buffet? Harvard reject.
Oprah? She got fired from her first job in television because she was "unfit for TV"

Failing means fuck all. And you will fail. Everyone fails. None of these people give two fucks about their past failures. Their failures made them stronger and it'll make you stronger. Nobody but you will give a shit and you'll only give a shit if you let it. You're in control.

>>17318960

Thanks for responding, I appreciate it. I actually didn't know about those people's missteps, it does make me feel a bit better knowing that people far more capable than myself are still prone to mistakes every now and then.

I personally don't care whether I make mistakes or not, I know that mistakes are a learning experience and an important part of life. Can't win 'em all. It's other people that concern me more. Long story short, I was picked on a lot in high school and didn't have any friends to back me up. It's hard for me to feel open and comfortable with people. It's totally irrational for me to fear people making fun of me when I'm an adult in a society with other adults but that feeling still lingers. I'm not sure how I can deal with that other than just facing it and learning gradually by experience that everyone isn't out to get me.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Thanks again for your help, I'm glad you took the time to respond. I'll take your advice to heart and just power through any anxiety I have from here on out.

Something that helped me was the realisation that the greatest failure was that resulting from inaction. Choosing not to do anything is a choice nonetheless, and the consequences of that choice are likely to be worse than those of any other steps you may take to improve your situation. Sure you will expose yourself to some unpleasantness - embarrassment, discomfort, etc. if you step outside your comfort zone, but they will be fleeting experiences. The regret of living a shitty existence out of made-up fears could follow you the rest of your life.

>>17319053

Yeah, I'm starting to realize that too. The regret over the time wasted hurts but the idea that I could miss out on the entirety of the prime years of my life is far worse than any regret. There is so much I haven't done and I want to do but I've just been too afraid or not confident enough to reach for it.

I know it sounds silly but hearing that from someone else helps that idea get through to me more than it could as a kernel of knowledge floating around in my head. No idea why. Regardless, thanks for the words of wisdom, buddy.

>>17319060
Glad to be of some help, but while we're at it:
>There is so much I haven't done and I want to do but I've just been too afraid or not confident enough to reach for it
You have to be careful how you handle this kind of thinking. Reason is that if you spend so much time thinking about all the things you want to do it can make you afraid to commit to anything because often committing to one thing means foregoing something else. The way around this is acceptance that again, not deciding is deciding. If you spend too much time hemming and hawing about your choices or avoiding one thing because it precludes another, you'll end up not doing anything. It's far better to achieve 2/5 of your life goals, than hesitate and not end achieving any.

>>17319063

It's like you can see right through me! That is absolutely a problem I have, particularly when it comes to the idea that some goals preclude others. I give up too quickly and treat those barriers as roadblocks rather than obstacles to overcome. But maybe I'll try looking at it differently and try picking a few goals I really want, then shoot for those regardless of what issues come up in the way. I'll have to give that some serious thought.