Q09

What is a fear that you have and how has it limited you? How do you plan on letting it go or overcoming it in the coming year?

I don't really have a fear right now...

i worry that i will never figure outhow to earn a good living and be able to take care of myself .

That I am not a strong enough man to be a good and faithful husband to my wife... I hope I can be and pray on it.

I have a fear of not being enough, for others in particular my Lady and her family. I plan to let that go by, letting it go !

I'm scared to death that I will never feel fulfilled and successful in my work life. I hope to figure out a new career path and to begin to implement it this year.

I think I have an inherent fear of success. Many times i have started a project, got almost to the point of success and then pulled back. This year I have an ongoing project that will radically improve my long term prospects and I need to recognise the risk and make sure that I do everything possible to bring it home.

I'm scared that I'll end up depressed again, now that university has started. I must have confidence in myself that I won't get pushed down by myself or my fear.

I have feared looking bad in other people's eyes. I only cared what they think and acted like my personal opinion didn't matter. I want to be more of a free thinker.

Fear of heights. Made me give up on hang gliding after starting a hang gliding club. Makes crossing pedestrian bridges hard, and using escalators where they are suspended over an abyss or even where there's a big drop on one side. Working on curing it through desensitisation very slowly.

I'm scared that I'm sick - really sick. If I am, I want to be able to rely on God for strength, to know that he has a plan for me, and that He holds me in his arms.

I think I have a fear of being still, of being left behind or of people moving on with their lives and forgetting. It's a fear that came through predominantly when school was wrapping up and I had to come to terms with people moving on, I deal with it better now, but every now and again I feel that sensation of standing very still while others seem to be caught up in a whirlwind of life and experience. My best friends and I used to see each other every day even for quite a while when she was seeing her boyfriend, but now she has uni and a mountain of other commitments and it feels like her time for me is becoming extremely limited. I don't think it is envy, it is just that fear of being forgotten and moved aside for bigger and better things. ACCEPTANCE. That is how I intend to overcome it. Accepting that throughout life people will come in and out, some will stay for much longer than others, some will come in and stick it out until the finish line by your side, some will be there for a long time and might check out before you make it to the end. But that is life, acceptance is the only way to handle those kind of insecurities, and just continuing in the belief that if they are meant to be with you, then they will.

i have fears of being "bitten" by feces. it comes and og. no special plans except trying to derationalize the phobia till i am strong enough for it to disappear. and reach bed tired enough to ignore it.

I am afraid of losing the things I love and so keep myself at a distance from anything and anyone. I am also afraid of being hurt by other people. I suppose I have to work on my trust issues and cultivate proper relationships.

I am happy to say that there are no fears I have that are 'big fears'. I've cured my fear of public speaking 4 years ago, by doing it, and I'm not afraid of dying because I know where I'm going after death, and my final 'big fear' was of anesthesia for surgery, but I had my wisdom teeth removed a week ago under anesthesia, and it went wonderfully, so I'm no longer afraid of that. If it comes to pass that I become afraid of something else, it's a matter of just doing it or facing it to eradicate the fear. But I don't believe it will come to pass.

A fear that I won't be able to make the my career goals and that they are to ambitious. It has limited me by making me unsure of what it is that i want to pursue as well as how I should go about pursuing it. I will overcome this by just going for it as much as I can. Work hard, plain and simple.

The fear of intimacy comes to mind immediately. Every year I try to overcome this, and every year I come closer to achieving it. Perhaps, this year I will come even closer. But, what would that look like? I don't know how to measure it, but every year I know I'm a little closer to it by the depth of my relationships.

I fear lots of things. Just fear generally limits me but certain fears limit me more. I fear for my son every day. I get gripped by fear nearly every day that today will be the day something terrible happens to him or I lose him forever. I also fear rejection. It limits my relationships with people. I hope to chill out a bit by this time next year and just get on with enjoying life while I can.

I have a fear of my fear. That worrying is stopping me from taking bigger creative or emotional risks Over the coming year I plan to try and be less introspective.

Gaining weight, eating, being full - these irrational fears limit my ability to socialise. They are such morbid fears, but I cannot overcome them. For four years, I've spent my time trying to work my way around them. I want to recover. I want to get better. I want to feel happy.

Fear, anxieties, all I know is that they can paralyze you and impact your daily life and existence in a way no other thing can. I am afraid to go to new places on my own, afraid of getting lost. While this is most certainly a common fear for many to me it represents a deeper fear of "being lost" as a person. I am afraid of looking or being fat, I want to be "perfect" so I feel and look good. Why is this so important... I fear my hair getting grayer because I need to visit the hairdresser more often which takes more time and then less time to exercise... oh my. can't imagine what I will think when I read this one year from now.... One thing is for sure, my fears are superceded by faith....that grounds me

Lack of confidence due to not having much education, it has limited me somewhat communicating with those who are highly educated. I am proud that I've been involved in projects that I handled well, without others being aware of my limitations.

I suppose one that limits a lot of people, is the fear of death. I'm afraid of dying. I know I shouldn't be. It's life. You live and then you die. But I don't even want to think about death, even in the far future where I'm 80 years old. It's stopped me from fully living. Fully enjoying my life. I had a near death experience when I was seven years old. I almost drowned. And since then, I have been unable to swim. My body starts to panic once it feels that I'm in danger. Then I sink. And I don't want to sink. I tell myself I can't swim because of that experience. Maybe it isn't so much of the fear of dying from it, but more so that I keep telling myself I can not do it. I'm not sure. I will try to over come this fear of death by trying to overcome the fear of drowning. I'm working on it. Maybe one day I'll be able to.

Phobic about flying and this limits our holidays as a family. Never really liked flying but did it and travelled a lot. But became phobic after having our first child and didn't fly for 14 years. Have flown 3 times in last 6 years but it still feels difficult and I feel I need to do something about it. Have thought about NLP.

I have a debilitating fear of/anxiety about large trucks and highway driving, stemming from a near miss with an 18-wheeler about eight years ago. It makes traveling to see family who live in other states very expensive and difficult. It also severely limits me in terms of where I can go for work activities, fun, etc. and it places a lot of pressure on my husband to do major driving when needed. It's AWFUL and I'm desperate to get over it so I can have fun wherever and whenever I want to. I have found that through meditation I can quiet my mind somewhat and I was able to make a trip earlier this year. I think perhaps it's time for therapy combined with continued meditation to get rid of the 800-pound albatross around my neck.

I have a fear of confrontation... I tolerate disrespect, and abuse at work, for fear of lashing out at the people who annoy me, and losing my job (from which everything good in my life flows)... I get fired, or sued, and then I'm broke... So maybe poverty is my greatest fear... There are so many people I would like to hurt, like they've hurt me, and I don't do anything because I could lose everything... It angers me... To overcome this, I've withdrawn from most people, and try to avoid any interpersonal relationships... Every word is weighed, judged, and analyzed... This keeps me, and my life/lifestyle safe...

My fear is that I'm not loved that's my constant fear but I do my best to overcome it. The second fear I face is losing my relatives.

I fear that I won't be accepted as the person I am because of my appearance. Like I can't be myself because I don't look like myself on the outside. I want to work on my physical appearance so that I look on the outside like the person I feel like on the inside.

my fear of authority figures has been a limiting factor in my career growth and i plan to focus on working more collaboratively with colleagues this year.

i'm afraid that i am fundamentally flawed and that i will never be truly romantically loved again. it has limited me, in that when i am in a romantic situation i compensate / over-compensate and it taints my behaviour / conduct, which then can throw/has thrown off the relationship and killed it, which then makes me afraid.....and the cycle continues. I have been trrying to let go and overcome this issue for years. I wish it were as easy to overcome as just resigning oneself to it within the next year, but it isn't. Maybe this will indeed be the year, but we'll see. My fear is influenced by other elements of my psyche, and working on reconciling other aspects of me will only help to empower me to truly let it go.

Fear that my marriage will fail. Fear my husband will lie to me and cheat on me and that what I think is real is not. I have no idea how to overcome this. I have no idea how to trust him. I try to talk myself out of it, and talk to friends. I try to stop myself from fantasizing about horrible things, which I have to stop myself from doing constantly. How do you trust anyone? I have no idea. This mistrusts limits me because I think I could be much happier and have a healthier relationship if I just trusted him more.

I have a fear of foreign countries that has been holding me back for quite some time. I've always wanted to go to England and do mission work in Africa but just the thought of leaving the country scares the crap out of me. I plan to overcome this fear by taking a trip to Haiti next summer with my church for a week to help them out. I'm hoping that being surrounded by friends will give me strength and comfort not to freak out on the way there and that by the time I come back I'll be anxious to go somewhere else.

I have a generalized sense of fear and timidity. I'm afraid of standing up for myself in small ways, which indicates that I don't want to take the responsibility to stand in my own boots in bigger ways as well. I think I have to start with the details, and nibble away until I reach the center. I have to speak up when I feel insulted or demeaned, and not just put up with it. I have to present my expenditures clearly on projects I have worked on, and arrange for payments to be made by certain dates. And I have to hold up my end of the bargains, and start delivering on time. I think that when I can feel proud of my own work, I will feel that I can face the world with more authority, and not keep apologizing for taking my place in it.

I would not neccesary say it is a fear, but I do hate change. Once in a comfort zone it is really dificult for me to get out. It has limited me in a sense that I was too afraid to do anything because I might fail. Failure too is a big fear that I have. I HATE failure! But recently I have tried to overcome this by saying to myself that there is no failure - only lessons. I plan to live by this rule.

I have a fear of people disliking me, and it's something I desperately need to get over. People will always have their own opinions, and there's nothing I can do to change that. Just because someone doesn't adore me doesn't mean I can't work with them, or be civil to them, and vice versa. I plan to remind myself of this whenever I encounter the situation, be as polite as possible, and simply let it go without dwelling on it.

One fear? Many fears. Since I fell and broke my hip, I am afraid thta i will fall again. Fear of the economy and the well being of our troops overseas. But i am trying to be positive and take it one day at a time and plan exciting trips and fun things to do.

fear of being alone. limited me in purely entering a relationship of friendship with guys i meet. im working on this with liam but it doesnt help he's the perfect boyfriend. im hoping to place less importance upon relationships and instead just live in the moment and not the hopeful future.

The fear of failure has resulted in allowing an overwhelming workload to control my life. I plan to try harder to not concede to small losses and instead to rise to the challenge so that I don't feel as overwhelmed.

I am afraid that one day I will wake up and be fat again. I spent my childhood and early teenage years in terrible shape, and I don't want to go back to that, not now when I know the risks. I'm just going to eat right and keep running-that should do the trick!

I am afraid of rejection and as a result I sometimes don't ask for help when I need it - especially in volunteer situations and when I feel I need emotional support from friends. At work I have no problem with it - I know that people are being paid to do things and I don't have to take it personally if they say yes or no. When I ask for a volunteer organization, I should be able to see it the same way. When I ask for myself... That's the hardest one. In the next year I will try to ask for help on things that are less emotional for me, as a way to practice for the times when I need help in areas where I feel really vulnerable.

I fear the dumbing down of our country, culture, and society. I'm not entirely sure how to overcome it, except that I'll be working my best not to assume the worst in people, and to surround myself with the most intelligent and passionate people I can.

Fear, hhmmmm. I fear being judged. That fear keeps me running. trying to stay one step ahead of it. Trying to atone for my sin. This fear is so strong that it brings me to tears. Plans to overcome it? I will keep on running, staying one step ahead, trying to be a good person.

That, somehow, this work choice I am making will result in a lot of wheel spinning and not enough to make a living. That something major will wipe me and everything out. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, every day. Pray, and realize that God is my partner in this. And, as Barbara Kingslover says, strap on "hope" everyday, just like you are putting on your shoes.

I have an acrophobia. I can't even look down from the 3d floor. When I do it my Knees begin to shake and panic fulls my head with stupid thoughts that I can fall down. My brain knows that it's not true but when I look down for a long time I can't stop thinking "get away from this damn window!" I'm not fear of flying, when I'm flying somewhere in a plane I'm really excited, not horrified

Fear or limiting belief. There are two things that I would like to accomplish this year and I don't belief that I have what it takes to make them happen.

I am usually afraid I am not good enough. I don't know enough, i will offend someone, I am not smart enough. it keeps me from sometimes finding my voice, and saying what should be said. It's a process. I grow and change, and learn about myself all the time to overcome it.

As much as I'm afraid of leaving my family and friends back home when moving out, I'm pretty sure this fear will simply pass by itself. The biggest fear I have, though, is not being able to fall in love. Being 19 and never having been in love before is not exactly what you'd call normal. In the coming year, I want to meet lots of new people and try to open my heart.

I am afraid of my parents becoming very ill or dying, and it has limited travel plans for me, as I am an only child and my parents are in their 70s and my dad has had 2 kinds of cancer. If I have the money to travel, I need to do so. I can always get back if necessary.

The fear of failure. Baby steps.

I'm terrified of needles, so much that it makes me refuse medical attention. I need to get blood work done to see if I'm even healthy right now based on my vegan diet, but I'm too afraid. I cannot force myself to do it. It would take a miracle to help me overcome this fear, as it's been paralyzing me for ages, but I'd love to be able to overcome it.

I have a fear of commitment: to my ideals, to allowing myself to love and be loved through thick and think, to my ambitions. I plan on overcoming it by being aware when it comes up... acknowledging the fear so I can let it go.

Having cancer with no major "felt" symptoms. And being told that I have to treat it. I feel fine but I have cancer... Weird. I'll just get treated and move on...

As pedestrian as it is, I am afraid of talking in front of groups of people. I'm afraid I'll look stupid, people will think I'm fat, etc - basically every fear about myself that I have, I worry will be realized, in talking in front of a group. I plan to work on it, starting with small groups, and work my way up from there. It's entirely possible that in my job, I will have to train large groups of people on a regular basis. My son also has the same fear, and he is about to be salutatorian or valedictorian of his graduating class - which requires a speech in front of hundreds. I'd like to be able to conquer this fear of mine with him, so that both of us are more comfortable.

Right now I fear not being able to keep on my path of peace, tranquility, magic and creation. I plan to overcome it by being an observer, living in everlasting present, verifying my creations, manifesting the unmanifested. Trying to fulfill my mission and my purpose by doing the thing I love to do and being thankful for everything that comes to me.

It's a silly one...but I have a fear of bridges. It definitely limits me because I limit the number of times I venture into Philadelphia...which I love. It limits how much work I can do for ALSF or CHOP. But I am working very hard to overcome this fear for good. I will continue to get over the bridge as best I can and do what is needed to be done!

I'm afraid of the repercussions of losing my virginity. I'm afraid of pregnancy, any other type of infection complication, and the possibility of a drastic change in me and Jonathan's relationship. However, I plan on taking a more realistic view and accepting that most people my age have done it without any troubles, so really, I should be able to as well. At least we've been going out for almost three years.

I fear getting sick, having some incurable disease. It's not an overwhelming fear, just something that gnaws on me from time to time. Whenever I get a mole or a spot, I think I have cancer. Part of the problem, perhaps, is that I don't go to the doctor as much as I should. Definitely going to make an appointment for a general check-up this month! Then, I plan to each MUCH healthier this year, not that that will be the cure-all.

Fear of cutting loose. People see me as lacking passion or energy, I think. I love life, but I have a hard time showing it sometimes. I don't know why that is. I need to work on showing more passion and emotion rather than bottling it up.

I'm afraid that my son with Asperger's will not make deep lasting friends and find love.

i don't really have any fears as such, i worry sometimes about trying to keep my daughter on the right moral path but i find that while anaxity or concern can be healthy, unwarented fear is not and can take over your life

I am shy, particularly around men in whom I'm interested in. And I'm far too old to have this fear. As I approach the age of 40, I'm worried that I may end up being alone forever. Most people would not perceive me to be a shy person as I'm outgoing in most aspects of my life. I just shutdown when it comes to relationships. When I have had success with men, it's been during times when I'm being good to myself -- healthy food, working out, not pouring too much of myself into the job at the expense of all other parts of my job. Taking this year off should help me prioritize ME -- the whole, real me -- instead of just the career woman. Even the idea of it has made me healthier and happier -- and I don't leave for another 5-6 months.

Failure. Do I try and do it all. Do it all at work. At home. As a mom. As a wife. To my congregants...

I get scared of being trapped whether it be in a relationship or a longterm job. It has limited me by not allowing to show my true feelings or taking up full time jobs (which actually isn't that bad). I am going to a retreat and also starting a full time job, I am also trying to go on dates see if there are any guys I like.

I have this fear that people don't like me or are saying things about me in a bad way. I don't know how to let this go but I wish I did because it's caused me to do stupid things I later have regretted.

I'm afraid I'll never be taken seriously. In reality, I really shouldn't take myself too seriously, and just let people think of me as they will.

Fear of dying and everyone I love dying and being alone. Fear of being unable to take care of myself and Michael when we are really old. Not really sure. Fear of heights. Don't think that will ever change.

I fear change. its what is keeping me in a job i do not like. i need to find something new and stimulating. and that pays more...

Sometimes I fear that no one truly cares about me, even though I have evidence to the contrary. I have no family and thus have adopted close friends as family. But, in my heart of hearts, I know that their actual families will always take precedence, which is as it should be. Right now I have no idea how I can overcome this problem. Perhaps being alone is the path I'm supposed to take in this period of my life.

Fear of rejection. It keeps me from trying to find a new job and from trying to make new friends, so consequently I'm stuck in a dead-end job that I hate and I'm lonely. I need to force myself out of my comfort zone to take the risk of being rejected in order to eventually be accepted.

I have a fear of not suceeding it has grown so much that it stops me from doing certian things. I'm good when it comes to my life - like exploring a foriegn city by myself, or telling people how I feel about them but the fear of failure stops me from getting my career moving. Over the next year i'm going to get a "job" not a career - something I want to do that I enjoy but that there is no pressure to do, then if I want I'll explore the option of a career again.

My son moved out in May and I do worry that he and his girlfriend will not cope with the money. She is expecting a baby around christmas so money will then become very tight. I want them to be happy but don't want them to think I'm keeping tabs on them. I know Carl will be a fantastic father but I also worry that they still think they can have their social life back. Her parents have offered to baby sit as have me and hubby but I don't want it to become an excuse to pass the baby over.

My greatest fear is my mom's initial and long-term reaction to me coming out of the closet. Although it shouldn't be a huge surprise to her, I know she believes I can 'overcome' whatever I deal with to be the perfect church-going married straight man she wants me to be. However, honesty is key and hiding from her doesn't do anyone any good. In the next year I'd like to make moves toward telling her and maybe even gaining some level of acceptance from her.

That I'm not going to have kids. Not that I can't but that I won't have anyone to have them with. I'm going to try and be patient and realize that it's just not my time yet.

i fear i will lose my home. i have not paid my mortgage in many months. i am assuming that at some point the bank will call or foreclose and then i will have to face my fear. i will also lose my dog business if i am unable to find another place that accepts dogs and has a back yard.

I have many friends and acquaintances, but I'm not significant to anyone. I'm afraid of letting people see how alone I am, how lonely; I don't want to be an object of pity. However, I realize that being more open might lead to closer relationships, and I should work on being less guarded.

I'm afraid of anything that crawls (mostly insects) and heights. I feel that I am a sissy from feeling this way, but you can't overcome fears. I have been on small roller coasters and even then I was afriad. Whenever I see a spider or ladybug I freak out. I don't think there is any way that I can overcome this fear.

I don't like failing or being wrong (who does, right?). I guess I fear it. I fear looking stupid; i HATE looking stupid. So I don't take a lot of risks. Sometimes, I avoid making decisions, I SAY because I am not sure of the BEST choice, but often I think there is some fear that plays into it. I've often said to others and to myself that fear is almost never a good driver for decision making. I need to find some ways to "kiss that monster on the nose," and do what it is that makes me uncomfortable -- big and small things.

Fear of missing out. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Ok so that's a few but it's the combination of them all that makes too busy, desperate to try anything, makes me say things just to look cool rather than being myself. I need to be more honest with myself and just say what I want to say or what's on my mind.

I have a stutter and I let it control my interactions with people. From speaking up in class to talking to someone in passing, it really limits me. I work hard to overcome it but sometimes I just gie in.

I fear that when I meet new people, they won't want to know me. Or that I'll push the friends that I already have away. It's mostly due to my insecurities of how I look. I plan on overcoming it by simply reminding myself that I've always been myself, and people that simply look at my physical features aren't worth my time - the friends that are truly worth it are the ones that see me for my personality and who I am. It's not easy, going by this, especially since my self-esteem tends to hit all-time lows. But I think this will get me far, and soon I'll be able to beat it.

I'm terrified being unsuccessful. Of not being able to support myself and having to rely on everyone else for the rest of my life. I'm scared of having the life everyone looks at and says, "When is she gonna get it together?"...

I have a fear of losing my husband. We have been together for 40 years, with very little time apart during those 40 years. We depend on each other so much. Perhaps more than is healthy. I would be completely lost without him in my life. I do not know how to overcome this dependency, I wish I did. I would like to think I am stronger than apparently, I am.

That I am 56 years of age have made horrendous choices, no property, no investments, no retirement, no health insurance . . . I have this too late mentality and what could I possibly accomplish and if I did I would be too old and tired. I am planning to trust God day by day, to claim the truth of His word and to focus on relationships over things and status.

I have two crippling fears. 1) Death. I've been very sick in the past (I'm well now) but I am always concerned about getting older (I'm 29) and getting sick again. It's terrible to have this anxiety and it holds me back because I find myself completely caught up in what I need to get done before I die - that I actually get stuck and don't get everything done. 2) Dreams/Goals not happening. I'm so stuck on getting the perfect "product" out as far as my music goes that I don't produce anything. It's creatively daunting because I have so much inside of me and I get stunted.

I'm afraid of being alone, so a lot of my decisions about where to move and how long to stay have been greatly affected by the people around me. I'm trying to get over that a little bit and try to make more of my own decisions in the next year.

Fear of loss. Loss of jobs, money, friends, elections....Some losses I can control, some I can't. I shouldn't have to worry that politicians are out to get me, but as any gay person in America can tell you, we're often used as political footballs. Any time a conservative wants to score some points, he or she can talk about curtailing our full citizenship.

I am pretty afraid at this point of letting anyone close to me. My partner is fine - he appears to be inside of the circle of distrust - but I am struggling to build trust with anyone else at all. I am working on it with my therapist, but also need to work on fleshing out the root issues that are still coming to the fore as I think about what's happened this year more. At the same time, I need to stop being afraid of losing people or situations that are no longer healthy or sustainable. I am afraid of what might happen such that I won't move to change things that are hurting me, which indicates that I don't really even trust myself.

I never really think that I have fears. No phobias just slight annoyances. I guess I do have a fear of the unknown. It's what sends me into depression, what I spend every waking moment trying to avoid thinking about. The "what ifs" take me by the ankles and swing me until my breath dissipates into nothingness. But my life has always been steady, no huge accidents nor life changing events to speak of. How do I change the unchanging uncertainties of life? By living.

As much as I don't want to admit it, I fear loneliness. I've had to face it and experience it in a much more intense way over the last couple of years since my divorce. I've begun to look at it as a perception rather than a reality. I live alone but I have a lot of friends and acquaintances. It's not like I have to be alone. Although I suppose what there is no immediate remedy for is loneliness for a mate. The only way I know to overcome it is to let go of my perception that something is wrong with this moment. Whenever I feel lonely I will call someone or make art.

I am always afraid of being broke! I'm never confident I will find a steady stream of work, and rarely have faith that revenue can continue in this economy. It limits my ambition, at very least. It also keeps me unfocused, looking for The Next Big Thing, and makes me a little flighty. I wish I could let it go, but I can't. So I will adjust my plans to be more ambitious and swing for the fences within my segment. If this works, I'll have more work, and hopefully this will dissipate.

I had a fear of speaking in front of big crowds, but today(16. September 2010) I overcame my fear and did an amazing acting job in front of a big crowd

I have a fear of drowning so I refuse to go on boats or swim in the ocean. Hopefully by this time next year I would've completed swimming lessons.

I'm afraid that something will happen to my children, every day, all their lives. I ignore it because they have to enjoy life.

The fear I have to make a big change. This limits me, as I do things just because that's the way they have always been done, regardless of whether it's the right thing for me and my family. In the coming year I intend on being more organised and planning our time so that we can make better use of it and be more happy!

Fear that we will never get our major bills paid off. Have not been able to take a vacat ion in years because I am atoning for my past actions and we are working in earnest to pay our bills. By this time next year, barring anything unforeseen, the mortgage will be paid off and the credit card should be just about zeo. We'll still have the equity loan and we will try to pay that off as fast as possible. I just fear having more major expenses, so that we can't get caught up. I also am concerned about losing our sources of income. I keep thinking far is useless and that trust is what is needed and I take one day at a time. So far, it works.

I fear that I'm getting married just to please his family. I want to find out that we are beautiful together and learn how to be married successfully since I don't normally believe in marriage/divorce.

That I will lose the relationship with my children permanently unless I cave in to their wishes which violate my principles and boundaries. I wish I could be like my husband who just says that they are the ones that will miss out if they refuse to go with us to counseling. We want good things for them but not at the expense of being untrue to ourselves. I'm in a group now that helps me deal with these issues and it's helping me to let go. I have so many other people who love, support and encourage me that I am on the right path and that is where I go to check my co-dependent tendencies!

My biggest fear is that when we decide to have children, my in-laws will attempt to interfere and impose their views and presence on us constantly. Presently, I feel they don't allow us the proper space to create our family unit and I fear this will only get worse when "the grandkids" arrive. It has limited me in that I've not wanted to approach the idea of family planning now. In order to combat this, I've told my husband we should take the year to enjoy ourselves first and wait and see. Additionally, I've begun making my feelings and views known so that the seeds are in place before the children arrive that our privacy is to be respected.

I fear a lot of things.....darkness, loud noises, not being in familiar surroundings, etc. My biggest fear is being judged by others as inferior. This has limited me in many ways. I tend to not make friends easily or to be open with people. It keeps me from reaching out to people to encourage friendships. I don't know how I will let this go, but I'm working with a therapist on changing my image of myself. I will try to concentrate on my good points & not dwell on the "bad"....you know, you've got to Ac-centuate the Positive & E-lim-inate the negative & latch on to the affirmative & don't mess with Mr. In-between.

my biggest fear right now is that my life will never be under my control. i want to take charge of my life and what is happening to it

I'm paralyzingly afraid of losing my memories. Watching my mother become completely helpless and totally disconnected from her life has been the most difficult experience of my life.

I reached the half-century mark just as I decided I want to teach. In the midst of pursuing the degree that will allow me to teach, the economy tanked. Our society is youth focused and does not seriously value age and experience. My fear is that I will not be employable because of age discrimination. I can't do anything to overcome the inherent biases in our society. I can keep plowing ahead until I reach my goal - in spite of age-related barriers and challenges. In that regard, being concerned about age discrimination is not terribly different from facing discrimination for being black or being a woman. I already have two strikes against me and I've been fairly successful in spite of them.

As a cancer survivor my fear of a relapse has been holding me back doing very important things and making important desicions. Slowly I've learned to tune down the fear but I want be rid of this fear for good somehow.

I have a great anxiety about not getting enough sleep... the child of performance anxiety and the grandchild of fear that no one will love me. It's funny how it has all devolved into the fear of not sleeping. I have been working on facing that anxiety (all those anxieties?) for a year or so now - basically by just trying to bring them all to the front so I can see them and accept them. It is much easier to let go or "downsize" your fears when you can see them. I don't know that I believe you can let go totally of them or overcome them, but I do believe that I can learn to see them as pests rather than demons!

I fear dying too soon. I am not afraid of dying, I just have a lot more to do. My entire immediate family have all died before they were 60, the oldest dying at 58 and the youngest dying at 44. They have left me here alone and I feel there is something I am supposed to be doing, but I don't know what it is. I have so much I want to do and I don't know how to get it all done. I feel like I have this incredibly heavy deadline to meet, living past 58. And I want to play the odds by living as much as I can now....as a preventative measure. But so much gets in the way, work, more work, compromising with others, sometimes the pressure is too much. I have a list and I am going to simply move forward, checking each item off as it comes and try to live each day as if it is my last.

I'm afraid of owning my own opinions. I feel bad if someone disagrees with me and make myself overly malleable. I need to be more ok with what I want.

Fear of failure; fear of the unknown; fear of commitment and intimacy (not just to people, but to ideas). I want to get over it by just doing it. Just acting on it. Everyone else sees how these fears are limiting me and how unhappy I can be, so I'm just going to say "Fuck it" and try things and if they don't work out, then so be it. I'm too old to be afraid of shit that isn't real anymore.

Of saying / doing the wrong thing, not so I'm embrassed, but because it will hurt/ not help other people. There are so many things they I don't say or do because of this, also I am just realisng I want otheres to make the same comprimises for me, but they don't because it's only me that thinks like this, so I get annoyed/irrated over nothing.

I fear being useless. And paralyzed by that fear it gets more real every day. I hope I can find a job, it gives meaning to my life. And I guess it's time to see a psychologist.

Although I am married to an amazing man, have some rewarding friendships, and generally seem (I think) socially capable and outgoing, I am actually very shy and rarely convinced that I am most people's first choice for companionship. If I have a child this year, I imagine that that event, and the needs socializing a child will require, will force me to deal with town "moms" who, previously, were never welcoming or friendly. Although I struggle with this, I think managing it on a case by case basis will probably have a better outcome than overcorrecting and making a child grow to feel he/she should be liked at any cost.

I have a fear of being fired from my job. I'm always afraid that something I do will backfire and I'll be the one left standing there without support for my family. To overcome this fear, I'm going to do everything I can to do the job the way they tell me to. I'll follow all of their little "plays" that they have set in place. If I'm doing what they say, even if it doesn't result in what they want, they can't fire me because I did it their way.

I am paralyzed by the fear of doing something wrong or making a mistake. I feel that I should always know how to do everything correctly and I won't do anything unless I know I can do it right. Makes for a very stressful and boring life.

For a long time I struggled with fear of rejection by my community. Fear that the ways in which I'm different or non-mainstream would cause me to be figuratively cast out of the community. In the coming year I aim to let that go completely as I move into a new chapter of my professional and communal life. The external marker of my communal standing will be wonderful, but even more than that, I'm looking forward to truly and wholly letting go of this old fear so that I can become who I need to become.

Fear of being in want, esp. in old age. As a result, I deny myself pleasures more than I should or need to, and, ironically, can be almost paralyzed by the prospect of long-term financial planning. I shall deal with this by making reasonable and creative efforts to grow my business and seeking a balance between living well in the present and preparing responsibly for the future. And I shall remember that security does not lie in other people, e.g., a spouse or children, and go about living a good life myself.

Becoming thin. Limited me... over come it... dunno

I fear that I will spend the rest of my life chained to this farm and never have time or energy to travel, return to my art or have fun ever again. I feel the clock ticking my life away day by day. I can't find a way to overcome this but I am seeing a counselor and maybe there is some hope...

It seems that I am always living in tomorrow, not so much today. My fear is that life is passing me by. I want to try to live in the moment. Appreciate each day as a big event.

Flying. I have a long haul trip to Antigua booked and paid for in December and I KNOW I have to get on the plane. I have had valium, been drunk, been hypnotised and am currently in the middle of a Virgin Fear of Flying course on my iPhone. It's my biggest fear by miles. And I know it's all down to me to cure myself. I am flying back to the UK in Premium Economy class so if that helps with my fear (giving me more space on the plane etc) then maybe that's what I will have to do from now on. I don't see it making the slight bit of difference if I'm honest! It's the fear of not being in control that I have to conquer and I know that I can do it, even if it takes forever, I'm not going to let my fear ground me to the UK forever, there is so much more of the world I haven't seen yet!

I am afraid of failure and rejection. Of letting people know that I want something. Of admitting my desires to others. I am going to try and be more honest and clear about what I want with myself and practice telling these wishes to my friends and family once in a blue moon. A tough one is being honest and open about wanting children and not knowing when or if that will happen. Somehow I am ashamed of desiring something and afraid that if I tell people and it doesn't happen...they will know that I failed and that I am disappointed. But the truth is, failure and disappointment are two very different things. This year I need to lose a little ego, gain a lot of trust and stop seeing life as a win/lose venture.

The only "fear" that I can think of is becoming marginalized as I grow older. Elderly people live at the margins. Others tend not to listen to them or take what they say as seriously as they do the words of younger folks. Haven't quite figured out what I'll do to attempt to change the inevitable. Maybe just tell family and friends, as often as necessary, "Don't marginalize me!"

I have a fear of ending up alone. It has limited me because it has caused me to get in and stay in relationships that aren't good for me, and fail to assess relationships on their merits. Instead of thinking to myself "here is what will not work about this relationship," I try hard to get into the relationship and then I start getting annoyed with it and treating the person badly. It also causes me to spend too much time on Jdate, etc. I have already made a lot of progress in letting this go. This is the first year I actually have been alone for awhile. I got used to it, even though I never thought I would. Going forward, I plan on continuing to concentrate on other things I am passionate about, such as music. I also plan to try hard to evaluate the pros and cons of a relationship early on, and not make decisions out of fear of being alone.

self destructing/sabotaging my life like my mother

I'm afraid of rejection, so I don't put myself into situations where it could happen - like joining new groups or meeting new people. It's just not something I've ever done, really. I guess to get over it I've been trying to join more things, become involved in more activities. I'll try even harder this upcoming year, I hope.

I have a strong fear of failure, but I look at it as a motivator. Sometimes, I do let it overpower me, and I try to take a mental step back when that happens. Wish me luck!

A few that I have is that people won't like me.. sounds silly as a grown woman to be saying it. Whether it's my weight, my smarts, whatever.. I am afraid that people will not like me because of certain things. Because of this it is extra hard for me to stand up for myself.. though I have been trying and have done so when need be.

I fear losing those close... so I wall off and shut down (or lash out) when I perceive threats to those relationships. Even when I know this isn't logical, fair, or otherwise sensical. I've been working on this years and finally seeing break throughs, but there is still work to do... I'm going to try to focus on seeing all the good things I have so I won't feel so at risk. Also working on getting a new more modern "security system" that won't be made of the child-like stones and wire I constructed so long ago. it's not serving me well and it's trapping me in, not risks out.

I have a fear of not being immediately liked. Sometimes it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm working on my attitude, though, and am finding that good manners and thoughtfulness is all I ought to worry about. The rest is beyond my control.

I'm afraid that I'm mentally ill and it could come and get me any time. I'm afraid of the pain this causes. I don't have a plan for conquering it, specifically. I don't know if that's possible. But I am seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist and they know I'm serious about working with this limitation to improve my life. I'm not sure you can make fear go away, but I'd like to feel stronger when I have to deal with it and have the skills to make it pass along, just as all other emotions do.

I have a fear of standing out, or being able to be recognized in public situations. Sometimes my anxiety is so bad that I get panic attacks. Perhaps I need therapy. I need to figure this out.

I am terrified of doctors & hospitals. So I never go for checkups. I go to doctors only when there is a pressing physical need (e.g., a bulging hernia). This may or may not be deleterious for my health (depending on how one feels about the efficacy of doctors). I therefore try to practice good health habits so I won't need to go to doctors & hospitals.

Someone else said "“FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. It makes me too busy, doing too many things, over multi-tasking instead of settling into the depth of fewer, more carefully chosen things.” I think that is true of me, too. Another factor is not being able to say "no" to people or activities very well. At the time I am asked I think I can do it. Later, it can feel like one more thing I've committed to that I don't have time for. I am working on this and will continue to.

I have a fear of making new friends. As an adult it's harder then when we were kids. I'm afraid people will reject me or already have enough friends. It has led me to be very introverted and never take a first step towards friendship.

I fear heading into my old age alone. I am so tired of being lonely. I don't know that I'll ever overcome this fear but maybe I can find a companion - who knows.

I woke up this morning feeling that I am too available to people, on all sorts of requests, interrupting my work and my line of thought more than frequently. It brings to my mind that it maybe for fear of not being able, not being around. Somehow, a fear I have had for a long time, is the fear of losing my aged parents. I have been taking care of them for some years now and I have an older sister, yet the fear is somewhat related to being alone in the Universe and to carry a burden and to the time I was 1 year and some months old, when my parents traveled and left me alone.

My primary fear is being unable to walk, hike, be as active as I want to be. I don't plan on letting it go or overcoming it. Fear is something to be faced--continually. I do what I do with fear by my side.

I have a fear of losing control. I am working on it in my personal life and will have to in my professional one. I feel I've made good strides in this, due in large part to my husband pushing me. But by leaving for a 10-week maternity leave, I will be forced to relinquish more control. There are some things that I probably "could" delegate while I'm out but that I just feel that I can't - contract renewal, etc. I need to make sure that caring for my newborn is my number one priority so I'm trying incredibly hard to delegate tasks. I do suspect that I'll grab those tasks right back when I return from LOA however.

Fear of intimacy.

Fear of overreach and its consequences. Sometimes when I try to avoid overshadowing others or stepping on toes, I end up doing too little. I need to have more courage in the coming year and ask more questions to figure out when I can help by being more active and involved.

I have a fear of people finding out that I may be imperfect, that I may not know something, and that I may need them in some way. I have a fear that I may not be as self-sufficient as I want to pretend. This year I will let go of my need to appear super-competent. I will let people know that I need them.

I have a fear of ever getting Alzheimer's. I saw what it did to my sister, who was very young when she got it. To avoid it I am as active physically and mentally as possible.

To be honest, I don't have any fears that limit me. I was and am a bit scared of buying property, but if idiots can do it so can I. It's nothing that can't be undone.

Ever since that dog attacked us while we were out walking, I'm so afraid that it will happen again. Even with the pepper spray I carry now, when I see a loose dog while we're out, I feel so terrified that the whole thing will happen again. I feel so uncomfortable taking Lucy anywhere, afraid that she is unpredictable and overly aggressive now. I've taken that dog on hundreds of walks around the neighborhood, and they were overwhelmingly uneventful and enjoyable. But that one Saturday has ruined that for me. I have to get over it though. Lucy is a good dog and I want that bonding time with her. Also, I worry that she will sense my fear and go into protect mode. I hope that over the next year, I can practice being calm and in control when we go out walking so that even if we do see another dog, Lucy will just pass right by it. I need lots of practice I guess, because this is very very hard for me. The dog whisperer guy says that if I am assertive, Lucy will follow my lead....this needs to be my goal this year.

Who I want people to believe I am vs. who I really am. I want to connect with my authentic self and be honest with myself and others about that.

My fear of driving is something about myself that I really want to overcome. Having come from a family of non-drivers, I'm proud that I pushed myself enough to get my license in my 30's - but I hate the anxiety I feel everytime I have to get behind the wheel to go somewhere I'm not 100% familiar with. I stayed with a number of boyfriends too long just because I had someone to drive me around. I want the freedom of getting in my car and going wherever I want to and not having a mini panic attack when I do.

See #2 and particularly #7. Funny how doing things differently and self-improvement go hand-in-hand with fear! ;)

I have lived my entire life with a fear of not fitting in and not measuring up. I will continue to work my AA program, which helps me understand I don't need to care about others' perceptions as long as I am doing the next right thing.

I fear social interaction, and have trouble with really being myself when in the presence of people i do not know very well. I am in my final year of my education, and want to make major changes this year. I am in classes that are based heavily on the way we interact with one another, so I see this as my oppurtunity to change the way I think about social interaction.

I'm afraid of loosing my job. This new company where I work is so unstable. Every six months we fear that they're not going to renew our contract. I must save and be prepared if I loose this job next year.

Fear or not being liked. Sometimes keeps me from being completely at ease and relaxed in interactions with others. Dont have a good answer for the second question. Letting go seems to come by grace and not by effort.

One of the sample answers was fear of missing out. That's exactly what I fear the most. I want to do everything, I want to know everything. In the end I don't do/know anything. It's terrible!

I can get very worked up over money and plans and the future. The anxiety feels like old survival fears at work and can become very intense. I'd like to continue the process of understanding that the fear does not mean anything is really wrong, take deep breaths and become more centered.

I fear embarrassing myself or seeming to fail in any way. That continually stops me from doing sometimes the simplest tasks and often the biggest ones - the stuff I really need to do to get to the next level in my career. I have to let it go or else I'll never have the life I'm dying to have! This year is about DOING, not thinking. The thinking gets me into trouble every time.

I fear insignificance. I fear that my life will be one string of mediocre events after another. I fear I'll always be that person who dreams but never lives. I've never been anywhere and have dreamed of being a world traveller. I dream of a husband but can't seem to marry even the wrong man let alone the right one. I fear I'll be poor and pointless all of my life which is what it's been to date.

I think in the past I have not taken chances or played it safe. For example, when I went to New York a couple of years ago, I wouldn't leave my friend's side. The big city was too scary. Maybe this year I will learn to ride the subway.

I fear missing out on experiences. I also fear the challenge of being in a relationship. I plan to work on my perspective and make better choices about who I date and how I connect with others.

All my life I have feared being perceived as less than or inferior. My appetite for approval on personal and professional levels took me in false directions which did nothing more than revalidate my sense of worthlessness. The cycle is nearly totally broken as I come to greater consciousness of my truth and extraordinary beauty, talent and power.

I fear disappointing my family and friends, so I volunteer for everything, and never tell people that I can't finish it. I need to get better at saying no to things, and asking people for help.

The biggest fear I have at the moment is waking up 5 years from now and finding myself in the same exact place and same exact job just because it is in my comfort zone. I plan on overcoming this fear within the next year by actively searching for a new job, and hopefully following through with my dreams of living in a different city.

Jellyfish. Can't go near them. Can't understand what role they play in an ecosystem. They've no place on the same planet as me. How have they limited me? I can't swim in the Baltic. That's not really limited me though for the obvious reason that I don't want to swim in the ice cold brackish sea. I overcome my fear by avoiding them. It's not hard. (neither are they, the sloppy things.)

No fear has truly limited me all too much. If I just go out and do my best any fear will be overcome.

I started a job which has a lot of responsibility and choices and hesitation can be the difference between life and death. I had to learn a hell of a lot in a short space of time and I was worried that I'd mess up and fail at it. It affected me in other ways, it made me look at myself differently as I was frustrated that it didnt come easy to myself like most things do. I worked hard and listened and took things at a slow pace and I'm now happy in my job, lessed stressed out at work and at home and all in all I'm proud of myself for sticking with it and believing I could do it. I don't have any major fears right now apart from silly ones. I worry that I'm getting too old for kids and I'll not be able to have them or I'm infertile or anything stupid like that. There is nothing I can really do about any of that, what will be will be and it's just accepting that I suppose. And trying not to be too broody in the meantime!!

My fears can probably only be overcome by pushing through them, by force of will. They are: fear of eye contact. Fear of taking charge. Fear of succeeding. These all relate to a fear of encroaching on others' space...a fear of being disliked and rejected.

I fear to speak up and I hope that I'll improve this via simple training during lessons.

I think I have a constant fear of falling behind, of not doing enough and not having done enough. It's often a problem stemming from regrets I have of spending my time in certain ways, not focusing enough, etc. In the end, however, I just end up missing out because I waste my time again--as refuge from being so busy and trying so hard at things that perhaps aren't even that important--and spread myself thin. I think that this year has been important for reflection, and I think that in the coming year I really need to observe myself more and choose very carefully what I should do and what I should spend my time and money on.

I always have the fear that I am not good enough, that people are not going to love me, that I am not going to find my +1. I am the best person I can be, and I will keep trying. But I don't need someone else's judgement - I answer to myself.

I'm afraid of death. It think it's a common fear. Nothing special here. Keep walking... It's a classic, and I don't think it's something people overcome. They fear for themselves, their loved ones. But the trick is to not let it rule your life. Then you're just goth, and so few people can pull off that look.

I'm so afraid of being rejected, I won't even try. This year, I'm applying to graduate schools all over the world, and top tier law schools. The worst that could happen is they say no; and what if my dream school says yes?

I am afraid of confronting my mother and being honest with her about my feelings on our relationship. It's caused me stress and held me back from enjoying a healthy family situation. I need to work on communicating more clearly and often.

I have feared failure, especially intellectually and professionally. I plan to address both of these fears head on by starting a Master's degree program which, G-d willing, will enable me to advance professionally.

I continue to fear being exposed as a fraud. That is silly, but I like to think it keeps me humble and honest. I would like to continue to achieve the academic and professional milestones that I hope will make me feel legitimate.

My greatest fear would be not being the great mother my daughter deserves. Failing to be a good role model. failing to be proud of me as she grows. That is why I am on aquest to better myself. I'm making changes in myself, that I know will help me in raising an awesome,smart, productive young lady. Children tend to be what their parent's are. Therefore, I have to be the best example possible!

I fear I sometimes spend time doing things like cleaning up after my kids or reading the newspaper instead of sitting down to play with them or read them a book. They'll be all grown up so quickly, and I fear I will regret I didn't spend more time with them early on. Alas, I fear this is a pretty common fear!

My only fear right now is potential conflict with my sister when my parents' pass away. We have had conflicts our whole lives and even now when she asks me a question, I give an answer and she refutes it. There is alot of money and property involved, and although i am sure they did a good job of dividing it up between us (there are no grandchildren to consider), I can see the potential problems based on the past histories. I have already envisioned certain sceanrios and wonder if my anticipation will change the tenor of the event to a very negative one. My husband is my strength in this as he is never reluctant to tell me when I am in error (I mean that in a very positive way) and to help me through the rough parts.

I'm most afraid of the future for my kids. With the radical right controlling the agenda and acting only in their own self-interest they have lost what makes our country great. Everyone is out for themselves - the most self-absorbed society in recent history. The best I can do is live my life according to what I believe - in kindness, compassion and helping others to the extent I can.

Fear of not doing enough for my parents who are old and ailing; of not being able to take the time out to help them overcome their difficult situation. What's worse, is that I fear that this will forever haunt me when they have passed. I guess the only way to overcome this would be to actually create a schedule of sorts that will enable me to spend more time with them.

I'm afraid of not having money. It has limited me in the way I spend or not spend money. I seem to worry way too much about it. I'll try to overcome it by making better choices in purchases, budgeting my money and increase the amount of work I can find.

I am afraid of being in front of people and I feel this is limiting because I get so nervous and can't function. I hope to push myself to get up and talk in front of groups.

Fear of commitment and relationships. I don't allow people to get close to me for fear of losing them and vulnerability. I hope to be able to just relax and go with the flow more.

I fear changing my job. I have an easy job that allows me the time to answer questions like this, come in late, and leave early. Yes, in many ways the perfect job. But I have no passion for it. I don't enjoy it in the least and think that I have stayed in it for so long because I am good at it. I plan on overcoming the fear by simply moving on. I need to work on my resume and keep applying for jobs until I am on to the next adventure.

Fear that if I do not have enough to do, I will be lost and lonely. Trying to overcome it by realizing that it is up to me to get out of that situation by reaching out to my friends and filling in time if I were to be lonely but first I must find out if it really is as bad as I think not being over-programmed would be. I must be willng to jump into the water and know that I will not drown, to use a metaphor from my childhood; I will not drown nor will I be left in the desert if I do let myself have the "luxury," really the choice to enjoy life more, more than I have to date, and more than my father who always saw it as a lucury to take off from work, but then work for him was avoiding depressed wife. For me that should jot be a problem.

Fear of deluding myself. I'm terrified that I'm just not seeing the truth of the situation on front of me, and I'm just making things up, and people feel sorry for me so they go along with it.

I'm still a little scared with Adam about a lot of things. I'm scared about being too serious in case he changes his mind about me. I'm scared about being too clingy in fear that he'll push away. Ultimately, I'm most scared that I'll use my reactions to things that went wrong in my last relationship as inappropriate lessons for how to act toward him, leading to the opposite result of what I intended. He is a completely different person, and our dynamic is nothing like my last relationship, and I know that. Still, I don't want to repeat my mistakes and I'm still learning where that's applicable and where I need to stifle those thoughts because the issues with Joe were because of incompatibilities that don't exist with Adam and so don't merit consideration. But I truly truly care about Adam, and I hope that I can deal with this by honestly keeping him updated with where I am mentally and why I act certain ways so I can learn how to be a better girlfriend to him. This has worked so far and I'm sure that conscious consideration and time together will get me to a point where I evaluate things based on our relationship, rather than through faulty comparisons.

My fear is of not fulfilling my potential. It has prevented me from doing more of the things I want. I get caught in my head and start counting all of my limitations. I plan to watch this voice and use it to propel me forward logically and heartfully.

My wife has a fear of letting go of old material stuff and I have a fear of confronting her.

Fear of not having enough money Linked to this of not paying my way ie relying on Alon's income ie being a prostitute. Which this year the kibbutz and social security have given me money and more money than I was earning when I was working and working hard for it too Fear of having to find a job at my age which I am now able to work volunteer part time because of the financial support I am getting from SS and the Kibbutz. Vague fear around the relationship with Colin cf John. Has worked out ok tho without having to change my behaviour or discuss it directly/openly with Colin. Keeping Colin in mind if/when John will die. He will have to get me thru that coz Alon can't and I fear I won't be able to do it alone

Fear of being thought inadequate or underqualified has prevented me from putting myself out there more with my business and pricing accordingly. It keeps me from committing to larger projects. I don't want to feel trapped in a cage of inadequacy of my own making. Train more. Define my business more. Define myself more.

I've got this blend of Arthritis - Osteo, Rheumatoid, and Gout - probably a matter of time that I'm no longer able to walk. Can't really do much that's physical now. All I can do is keep reminding myself that I'm not done yet,l and just keep going as long as I can.

Fear of Vulnerability in my work. I tend to submerge in procrastination because I cannot deliver work to my clients unless I think it is "perfect," and I cannot do "perfect" work until I am in the mood, and that mood is sporadic. I really have to overcome this. I'll do so by catching up with work, and creating a schedule that will give me time for those ups and downs, along with a policy that would give my clients more realistic delivery dates.

Fear of failue I suppose. It's probably the most crippling fear of all because it makes you do nothing. I'm also afraid of childbirth. Of the actual birth. The actual ''the baby is coming out now'' bit. Which is untimely as we plan on having kids in the next year or so. I need to find women that will tell me honestly what it's like and not gloss over it or wash it down, so I know exactly what I'm in for.

Fear of letting go of "stuff." While I'm not a pathological hoarder, I definitely hold on to things of little or no value. It could be things I've gotten for free, or things I've spent money on and am reluctant to let go of. Once I've spent money on something, it seems wasteful to let go of it. Consequently, my life and my home are cluttered with "stuff."

I am afraid of everything. Clowns, driving, doctors, sickness, losing the ones that I love, failure, rejection, bees in blenders. I plan on overcoming all of these fears, beginning with the basics, becoming healthy and knowledgable, and keeping myself too occupied to feel anxious all the time.

I'm terrified of commitment. It makes it impossible to enjoy anyone with whom I have a shot of a lasting relationship, and the effect is that I only date men who are in some way unlikely for long term relationships (other commitment phobes, addicts, or much much younger men in the 18-21 range). I dated a 19 year old last fall, and now I'm pregnant with my 21 y.o. lover. I'm 33. My friends think it's funny, but it's actually very painful and lonely. I plan to get a therapist, but I haven't called anyone yet.

I fear my ex-husband. Even now. And I want to overcome it. I hope that now that I am getting married, I will find an additional source of strength to create new patterns of behavior rather than resorting to the old ones.

I have a fear about not having enough money to take care of myself. I want to have a concrete plan to earn money and to support myself and take care of my family. I want to let go of fear.

I fear that I'm not good enough, and this will result in people seeing me as a fraud. That I will be found out as another struggling creative, no more expert or real than any other. I want to learn to accept this as part of my authenticity, not a subject of shame.

I have a fear of missing out. All the brilliant nights out, tv shows, gossip... I'm the only person I know with a google reader count of 10 or less. To stop the rot, I'm creating more of my own things, so I have less time for what everyone else is doing.

I'm fearful of putting my novel out there... rejection, failure. But I have to do it. End of story. I just have to.

I have a fear of driving. Not the act itself, but I fear that if I were to get my license that I would wind up hurting or killing someone. It's irrational and stupid, but that's why I don't like driving. I have to overcome this fear. I have to "put on the big girl pants" and get over it. It will be hard, and it will take time, but I know that I can do it.

Im so fearful of losing my boyfriend, he has become my life, hes so amazing. I have lost so many people now that losing one more I don't know.. Im getting profesional help right now.. so I'll be better

I have a fear of being rejected. How do you overcome this? Not care? I have tried that...I have been aloof and cold and removed. I push others away before they can. Professionally I overcompensate by doing everything I possibly can--by being as perfect as possible. Both of these behaviors just leave me isolated and alone. Not really the outcome for which I was looking. So, I am trying carefully to reach out, to include...to be caring and available, but careful of me and my time as well.

One of my biggest fears is letting my kids fail. I have got to let go and let the kids experience their failures at a young age so they can grow up and prevent failures later in their lives. It doesn't limit me so much as limiting their experiences.

I am afraid that people will not like me, or they will be disappointed in me. This fear controls what I say and do, so that my actions do not reflect my needs, but everyone else's. I must put my trust in G-d and do G-d's will, rather than worry about everyone else. That is G-d's job and it is too big for me!

The main fear that comes to mind, without overthinking it, is that I won't be able to get to where I want to be with our financial situation, taking care of all our responsibilities solely with my income, while also vacationing twice a year, a vacation not a staycation! I am going to read books about over coming fear, in particular a new book by Rabbi Kushner. I am also listening to a tape by Brian Tracy that addresses fear and the best way to overcome it, which is to move forward.

I fear being left out, unliked, unloved, and it's always made me insecure. I think this year I'll just be myself and be more confident and if people don't like what they see, then that's their problem.

I am afraid that i won't finish this dissertation. That it won't be good enough, whatever i write. That i have gotten myself into something i cannot get out of! I am afraid of the work in part because it really truly means figuring out who i am and where i stand. I am afraid this will take much longer than i can stand it. I realize that this fear is useless. That it isn't protecting me, it is only exhausting me. I plan on continuing to do the work. And keep working to silence the fear. In the end, it will be done, and there will be more time to make it better. And my work here on this does not determine my life, it is just one small piece of it.

I have many phobias, I would love to travel but am limited because of my phobias I hate traveling in cars, buses, trains and planes for more than an hour I start to panic and I am still trying to find the root of the source with the help of professionals. They think it stemmed from early childhood trips where my parents wanted to make good time and wouldn't let us out of the car to stretch, also I have poor circulation which is a contributing factor in my feet and I hate getting any type of pain in my feet, sounds weird I know but that's my phobia. The only way to travel for me is on medication which will basically knock me out until I arrive at my destination.

My fear centers around speaking freely. What I say or don't say to husband on certain subjects (finances and general cleanliness) - is slowly killing me. Our house and finances are a mess. The story he tells is that I am incapable of having a rational conversation about finances. To me this is a denial of reality by him. In my first marriage I managed all our finances, saved money, managed debt, etc. Then for the 8 years I was a single parent with 3 children, I managed all the finances - paid for a car and a house. While I struggled financially with no having enough income, I still managed okay without any outside assistance. When we married, he had no assets. He managed real estate property for his mother and lived in that property. He had no responsibilities and no debt. BUT he owned nothing. My fear is that our finances will continue to decline because we don't have a plan. To have a plan, we have to talk. Additionally, the mess in our house seems to be getting worse. He is the absent minded professor - without being a professor. When a new thought pops into his head, he moves to that new idea. He does not finish what he started nor does he notice that he spilled coffee, dish water, food on the floor and clean it up. He leaves cupboard doors and drawers open, lights on, tv on, doors unlocked, the garage door open, and more. At first, I would go behind him and close the doors, drawers. Wipe the kitchen counter, put dishes in the dishwasher, hang towels up, etc. then he would get mad because I had moved something. He can't find his keys, wallet, cell phone - because he leaves it where ever he is standing when he removes them from his pockets. Is there something mentally wrong with him? Is it his MS? or is he a little ADHD or a some degree of Aspergers? His social skills are not the best. Because he becomes so angry when I pick up after him, I've stopped. The mess stays until he gets mad about how messy the house is and then he cleans it up. All of this not talking about these subjects is draining me of energy. it takes real effort for me to do the simplest things - like make our bed. I hide in my office. I need to find someone to talk this through with so that I can have a conversation with my husband. Couples therapy only has a short time success as after a few months, he stops doing the things. It takes too much effort he says. How can I do this by myself? I have to do this for my own well being or it could ruin my health.

I'm afraid I'll never be able to have a boyfriend, a something. My relashionship with myself is enough trouble and I think I have to change some things in me so I'll be able to relate in a different way with people

I have a fear of failure, I think. It's more of a lack of confidence that i'll succeed which sometimes keeps me from trying things that I want to. I honestly have no idea on how to let go of it. It's been a staple of my life for quite the while. I guess it's just a matter of taking risks and having support from others and really just forcing myself to fight through that uncertainty.

I think that my fear of failure leads to me being afraid to make decisions - even teeny tiny decisions, like what to wear. I fear making the wrong choice, or missing out on something better. Because of this I often avoid taking action on things that are important to me. When I invest so much time and energy into finding the "perfect" thing to wear, or write, or say, or to do with my time, I often end up frustrated, wasting too much time deciding, and the outcome is often far from perfection because of my irritation with the process. In the next year, I'd like to relax a little bit and be ok with things not always working out the way I want them to, to put less pressure on myself, and to be less critical of others.

I have a fear of not being good enough for people. I've never really had a boyfriend, and I've been treated badly by a lot of my friends. I just get scared that I'll never be good enough for anyone, I'll be alone forever, and this adds to worry that I'm not good enough to get into drama school - which would kill me, because all I want to do is be on the stage. I guess the only way I can really overcome it is to gain more self confidence. I have pretty low self esteem anyway, and I suppose I just have to tell myself that I'm confident, talented and pretty, and not waste time with the people who treat me like crap. I need to accept myself for who I am.

I have irrational fear I call it about my Son and my Brother. I'm working through it with routine and communication, but one little chink in the armor, the slightest inflection in the sound of their voice, and I begin to worry. It's good to be able to say this all out loud. What I really need is a way to share what's going on with me. I'm hoping that my own self improvement program will help me alleviate stress which is what I believe is the root cause of my issues.

I'm afraid of being alone forever, and it limits me by causing me to become more alone. I'll consciously not talk to people or become friends with them because "they'll leave anyway" or "there's no way they could possibly understand." I've been trying, trying to talk to more people, learn about more people. Because I'm tired of being alone, I like it too much.

I'm afraid of being alone. I don't spend a lot of time alone so I think I would try to overcome it by trying to be more independent.

I have a fear of not having enough for retirement. Save more?

i am scared that something is going to happen to me and that my children will grow up without a mother. i am scared my husband will not be able to support the children and raise them as i think they should be. i am not sure how to overcome this fear, other than that i am trying to get in shape, keep myself healthy, and lose weight so i give myself the best chances to live a long life to see my kids grow up and have lives and kids of their own.

The worst of what I've always feared is already happening over the past 2-3 years: failure professionally, personally in my closest relationship and financially. What else is there? Once a precocious over-achiever, I can't get jobs now at age 39 that I wouldn't have even bother applying for me in my 20s. I feel like the career I love is over or at least severely stalled in midlife and my marriage is failing, made swifter by financial pressures. I'm in a new country and city where I don't have old friends and or family. I've been like a beached whale the past couple of years. Stunned with pain, limited in capacity for joy and left paralyzed with self-doubt and self- reproach. But I just keep breathing, moving: keep making friends, volunteering and networking for work. Focus on what makes me happy and where I can be of service. It's trying to figure what I really want now within this reality and who I really am one breath and step at a time. One thing I learned: I may fail at things but that doesn't me necessarily that I failed myself. I will do the best I can for myself while being the person I am and want to be. I will come out of this - maybe not in the next year, or the year after that; likely much poorer and maybe even bankrupt; and likely divorced - but stronger and more compassionate than ever before. And I can count on me to do the best I can, with what I've got at any given time. I never realized the depth of my unconditional love for myself till these past couple of years. And love will always find a way.

Not having enough funds in my retirement. I force myself and my family to live far more frugally than we need to. I'm not sure how to let it go.

I am always afraid that, in the long run, my decisions will prove to be wrong or based on opinions other than my own. Overcoming this will include both learning to listen to and trust my intuition more, and worrying less about obscure, long-term, unknowable outcomes.

Fear of flying is one of them. I really hate getting on planes to the point of panic attacks in the airport and need strong medication to get me through it. Fear of looking stupid. In any and all areas of my life. A big one from my parents, "What will other people think?" Apart from the fear of flying, I think that all of the others involve increasing my levels of self confidence.

The fear of failing or not being able to complete something keeps me from trying. It pervades everything - relationships, work, hobbies, everything. How to let it go or overcome it? I have no idea. I've started by working my way backwards, into the past, so that I can hopefully reconcile things that have already happened. Maybe if I can let go of the old I can move forward into the new.

I have had a fear of success. I have been working on it this past year...and I feel it fading. I am ready to live out my purpose.

I fear that I will never be successful. I plan on letting it go by redefining my definition of success

I have a fear of not focusing and powering up to make lot of money and grow the business. I plan on working towards growth every single day even if in 1 meeting or email or phone call working toward a possible future project. i'd like to build some real savings finally. I also fear my lazy streak...need to make sure to stay on my toes and not sink into the abyss. Body and mind. this is the year to make this a conscious effort.

I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. In the past, when not on medication, I've had very intense panic attacks while driving. It often occurred when I was in the middle of nowhere and it left me feeling as if I am incapable of taking care of myself. These types of attacks have been haunting me for several years now and I am on medication for them. I may have to take the medication for the rest of my life. In the coming year though, I want to take steps to let go of that anxiety and feeling as though I can't be alone or drive alone because I can't trust my own brain and body. I assume that this will require more of a sense of peace with me and in order to find that peace I will have to stop numbing myself completely. I fear that if I do not, there will be consequences that will make me feel even more helpless than I already do.

Fear of not doing good in something and on not being contented with what I have. On school, on life. on everything else. I'm afraid that it would all come right back and hit me in the face unknowingly.

I am afraid of singing and being ridiculed or talked about behind my back. As a performer, esp. a black one, singing is a skill I really wish I had developed. I know that there is so much work I am missing out on because I don't sing. I am completely out of the black theater networking loop because I don't work at those venues or with black companies who expect black folks to sing - and sing with style. I am now trying to focus on other skills and make myself a standout. I have sung in public and got very nice compliments, I may try some positive thinking exercises to overcome my fear - but I doubt it.

Becoming my father, he's a very angry man and whilst a short fuse is common place in my family i find life a lot easier when i am not as highly strung. I mean this in professional and personal relationships and since I have made this switch in psyche things have been a lot better for me. We'll see how I get on.

I was once afraid of sharks but I overcame that fear for the most part, yet I am still scared of Great White sharks. There is no way in hell you will find me in the water (without a buddy or a 9mm). Until the opportunity arises to kill a Great White with a 9mm or a spear, I don't see it encumbering my life.

I just started to become fearful of becoming old and losing my mind and body to things like parkinsons or alzheimers. I don't want to fear aging, I'd like to start visiting with the elderly and trying to understand what aging is all about.

I have a fear of my husband dying and leaving me with all this financially debt. I have to let this go, it angers me, stops me and makes me say things that I don't mean to say. I would like to get into a better financial state, to enjoy my life right now!! Right Now!!

I fear that I'll never have a "real" relationship. The first and only boyfriend I've ever had, I've never met. He's the sweetest best person to me and I love him more than I've ever even liked anyone. But he lives in a different country and his parents are as controlling if not more than mines. Those are all excuses. I love him, I don't want anyone else, I just want it all to be tangible and I fear I'll be waiting the rest of my life for him to come get me.

I fear I will never find a mate, and that I will be childless. It has limited me because it has made me manifest "not finding a mate" again and again, plus maybe I seem desperate. I let go of this, I enjoy my life as it is, and I trust with certainty, that I will be with my mate and have children when the time is right

I fear letting people in - that if they get to know me, they won't like me. I also fear telling my parents I'm gay.

The fear that I have is the fear of not becoming successful enough to have a family with the man that I love. It's limited me in ways of personal interest and indecisive moves, I always consider my boyfriend, whom refuses to say we are engaged because I have no ring. I usually find myself giving up things so that I can pursue another possibility even if I do not like it, I always look into the future.

I have always struggled with the complementary and re-inforcing fears of making the wrong decision, of "missing out," and of disappointing people - all of which have made me tend to spread myself too thin, be indecisive or non-committal, weirdly overcompensate by setting expectations even higher, and be generally pretty hard on myself. I have made a lot of progress on all of these fronts in the last few years but events of the past year have re-emphasized them - especially the fear of not living up to expectations/disappointing. At this juncture, I think the best thing I can do is to focus more on what I want to get out of life rather than what other people might want from me. And starting therapy might help too.

Fear of rejection, not being loved -- enough. Makes me guarded, insecure, anxious. To just telling myself that I deserve love, and by giving it...if I keep giving it...it should flow back.

I'm afraid of failure. It overwhelms and stresses me out to a point where my health declines -- mental and physical. I plan on just letting go a little more. Life is too short.

I am afraid of being alone, I'm not really good at socializing, and have still not found a girlfriend. I'm scared that I may bot be able to have a son named Luke, to continue on with my goal in life. I plan on introducing myself to more people and especially girls.

Fears around my daughter, Tanya, at school. Will she get into trouble with alcohol? Guys? What will she do Jewishly? And more and more and more. Nothing I can do about this--must learn to let go and live with that.

I have always been afraid of really pursuing what's important to me, of leaving the structures that support me behind and going out on my own - I am going to try to do exactly this in 5771.

Failure. Or regret. But I end up cursing myself because I am so scared of regretting decisions that I don't make them or don't pursue opportunities and end up in the same place - regretting something.

I'm afraid of losing my husband. His health is not good and he won't make healthy changes in his life. His feeling in the matter is that he wants to enjoy whatever years he has left and he doesn't want to spend the last years of his life doing without the things he enjoys. All I can do is love him and hope that he decides he wants to be healthier.

I'm afraid of being alone. I almost expect one day to be living in a one bedroom apartment with no one to call and no one to come by and check on me. It limits me because I try and push people away before they push me away. I don't know how to let it go. I don't know what to do. I guess I just wait to see if I end up alone. That sounds terrible.

My biggest fear is fear of loss - mostly fear of my daughter being so far away and of my Dad dying...but really it is about the passage of think and about my own mortality. I try to use that fear rather than be limited by it - I make the effort to stay in touch with family, to go see them, and to live each day to the fullest. But it is so easy to get lazy and complacent. I don't think I want to let the fear go, but I want to use it as a reminder that the time is now and that is my choice of what to do with that time. I need to remember to pay attention to what is important.

fear of letting down the guard and being fully me - regardless of what others think, ever, anytime.

Voicing my opinion or thoughts. I feel like I am not a very smart or educated person so I fear that I will say something that will give that impression.

I am afraid of living with my partner, but we are talking about doing that this year. Partly to move into deeper commitment, partly for financial reasons. I am not afraid of being with him and his son on a full-time basis, but I am afraid of how we will manage our very different lifestyles and ways of doing things. I don't want the stress of living together to wreck the relationship. I think we should probably do some counseling around it together, and have honest conversations about what we each need to make it work, and see how much we can accommodate that.

I am afraid of rejection -- particularly from editors ... so I don't even write what's in my heart ... I am also afraid of being considered "wrong" ... didn't realize that until recently - a hangover from childhood... I'm going to do what Nike promotes Just Do It!

I have a huge fear of not having enough or being enough in my work. This has led me to middling in the middle in terms of career, while believing that I had some great calling to fulfill. I want to just go for what I really enjoy, and know that it comes form the right place spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, financially. I want to llighten up about my attitiude to money and work, and just have fun doing it.

I am afraid of being conscious and losing the ability to move or talk. I can't think of anything worse than being unable to take care of myself, meet my own needs, and also be unable to express anything to others. In other words, I'm afraid of being trapped in my own body. This fear has been with me since my teens, but becoming paralyzed is a somewhat more realistic fear now that I have had a TIA and know that my carotid arteries are 60% occluded. I don't think it has stopped me from anything, but it does get me thinking about suicide -- the only sure wat to be sure I'll never be conscious and paralyzed.

Boy oh boy, I knew this question was coming up. Fear of failure. I have some new goals and ambitions, and to make them a reality I'll need to risk failure. I've tried to take a rational approach to overcoming this fear, but I think it's going to come down to taking a leap of faith, and trusting my gut.

My fear is getting sick without health care. I am contemplating an unethical action which makes me uncomfortable. I am trying to decide if taking care of my health and life is more important that fudging a fact. I am hoping to find another resolution for this issue which is in accordance with my spiritual beliefs. Certainly the idea of the proposed action does not make me feel good. Just writing this shows me the importance of the need, on my part, to find an ethical solution.

I am afraid that I won't be able to find paid work as a chaplain, and that all this money that my husband has invested in my training from his own retirement savings will be wasted. I am also afraid that with our reduced financial safety net, something will happen, especially to my husband, that will eat up what is left and leave us penniless. My plan is based on a kavvanah I developed for myself while studying Mussar: "Act with patience and trust, and surrender outcomes to HaShem."

I observe friends, colleagues and acquaintances hit lucky breaks and strike gold financially. The fear of getting left behind, though dormant, has always plagued me. I want so desperately to succeed and hate the fact that I'm mostly (for now) complacent about the issue. The future of a just-barely-comfortable me with very rich friends haunts me to no end. I believe I'm resting all of my hope on my current, biggest project and what happens to me after graduate school.

I have a fear of people hating me, and thinking badly of me. This has limited me in the past as I haven't made friends because I've been convinced they'll hate me, so I keep my mouth shut because if I don't say anything they can't hate me for it, simples. Bad logic there. I'm going to have to change it so I can have a positive time at university, hopefully.

I fear not being liked and accepted. Because of this, I frequently hold back on stating my needs and wants. I'm working on better communicating how I feel and what I want with others.

Fear of facing the problem created by family members. I feel I cannot keep and cope with the stress. Take it per dosage at a time. Start anticipating the necessities needed and the possibilities...

I always fear that i'm not good enough. It limits me in everything that I do b/c I always understimate myself. I fear that i'm not a good enough mother, wife, daughter, sister. I fear that i'm not good enough at my job or when I was at school.

Stagnation used to be my scary word. Still is. This beautiful morning of soft desert air and blue sky, as I write this, I fear nothing. This is momentary, but life being a collection of moments, dayenu.

My biggest fear is to end up as a failure. To have nothing left. To have lost it all: wealth, family, friends, sanity... The way I let this go is by visualising and affirming "success" ( my version of it) and by making sure I do something everyday to make sure I won't get to that point.

When you confront something that your perceive as "new," you may choose (1) to fear it, or (2) to learn about it and understand how it fits into your life, or (3) determine that it is not worth you time. Intelligence and Wisdom Average intellectual intelligence is situational Exceptional intellectual intelligence is constantly inquisitive Average emotional intelligence is sensitive and, only accidentally, helpful Exceptional emotional intelligence is empathic and provides an analogical compass through the maze of feeling Arrogance puts others in a state of signal overload on the third note of the tonic-dominant scale. Wisdom is seeing the connections among so much that is seemingly dissimilar and understanding why those connections exist. All communication is informed by one’s understanding of these connections …or by one’s lack of it. Craig Salvay 100615-100912

One fear of mine is that I will someday look back at my life and be angry at the choices I have made. This makes me analyze everything I do and I feel sorry for myself on a regular basis for doing things (or not doing things) that I know I will regret. I know therapy is an option, but I have found therapy just encourages me to obsess about things even more, without really leading me towards a solution. I think I just need to learn to give myself a break now and in the future.

I fear losing my eyesight. My mom and her siblings and my grandmother all had macular degeneration. I will make an appointment with the eye doctor before 2010 becomes 2011, and get a new pair of glasses. Also I will treat my eyes better, no more eyestrain from too long on the computer or reading in inadequate light. But I WILL continue to knit as much of the really fine stuff as I can manage. And I will eat the foods that are good for my eyes. Also, I will cherish all that I see around me, storing 'photos' in my memory album.

I am afraid that I will not be able to get my previously excellent health and will be more and more limited physically as i get older - I am caught between the jaws of a dilemma: I gained a lot of weight in the last 2 years due to recovery from a crippling accident and now i cannot do weight bearing exercise to get it off, because the recovery period generated an acceleration of RA in my hips and knees. I have signed up for water aerobics to try and lose the weight and regain my physical confidence.

That my image/reputation will be tarnished if I pursue the things that I want. I realize that it can't be true. It's impossible. I just need to mature in how I go about it.

I fear letting people down. It leaves me over committed and unsatisfied with myself. I need to consider my own priorities and stick with them!

I have this fear that I am not smart enough to attend my college and one day everyone else will realize it too. I hope to work really hard as I get my degree and gain more confidence in myself.

not getting it all done. I just need to take one step at a time.

I have a fear of being broke. Or living check to check. It completely stresses me out and my natural response is to just not pay attention to the finances. Or atleast the little nuances of them. This has prevented me from saving money for the future. Over the next year I plan to budget more carefully and actually follow it. Putting money in to savings and still paying bills.

-That I will limit myself, through limiting beliefs. Work on reducing limiting beliefs.

I'm deathy afraid of getting stomach flu. If I even feel a little sick, I think I'm getting the flu and I start freaking out and praying like crazy. Id like to be able to have a simple stomach ache and not have a spazz

My most limiting fear is that I'm not good enough, or that I don't deserve "success." I working hard to overcome it through prayer and meditation. As I've gotten older (I'm 63) I've become much more self-confident than I was earlier, but I still find myself sabotaging my own efforts and weight loss, or sabotaging my efforts at spiritual growth, or just reacting with depression rather than positive belief in myself. I've gotten to a point that when I find myself being negative, I'm able to stop it and get through it, but I still find myself being negative. A lot. I'll continue working on it this year. I'm making progress, but I still have a way to go.

I have a fear of time passing me by...especially with my biological clock. I hope to concentrate on the wonderful things going on in my life this next year and keep in mind that there are things I'm getting to do right now that I couldn't do with a baby.

I'm too busy to be afraid.

Oh goodness...what fear DON"T I have. After experiencing and witnessing so much trauma I live in a constant state of alert. I feel bad things could happen everywhere and I have become an incredibly hypervigilant person. On top of that even though deep down I know I am a very capable person, I have such a fear of failure that my anxiety"makes" me say no when someone offers me a new opportunity. I also am afraid that if I say yes I won't know how to set limits so that I don't feel taken advantage of. All of these together make it so I keep my life very small and with minimal risk which leads to an unfulfilling anxiety filled life. This year I want to challenge myself more: Feel the fear and do it anyway. I want to stop the voice in my head that believes I won't be successful and I want to be out in the universe and prove to myself that it is not as scary or threatening place as it feels.

I'm fearful of puting myself out there, speaking my mind, taking about myself, talking about my work. I fear being rejected or people not being interested in me. It affects every aspect of my life, my realtionships and the success of my work. I definetly plan on trying to overcome this this year, it's very important that i do, this year.

A: This makes me think of 1984, And how Winston Smith confessed his fear of rats to his lover, Only to have the State eaves drop and use that fear against him. I fear the meanness and the ugliness of human beings as a species. I fear the loss of my dignity and autonomy. I fear that I cant protect the helpless in my care. I fear people who don't respect boundaries, and think that the world owes them. I fear that if forced to defend myself, I will be punished for it by having more rights stripped away. I will always defend me and mine regardless of the consequences.

I am afraid of making the wrong decision. All decisions involve letting go of some possibilities to wholly embrace others, and I feel inhibited from fully embracing any possibility because I'm too afraid I might let go of a possibility that would be somehow "the" "right" "one", or even just one that might take me in a really interesting direction. I am going to practice committing to a course of action and following it through long enough to see clearly where it will take me. I've decided on what I'm going to do this winter, after much agonizing, and by February 1st I will make a clear commitment about my plans for spring.

I have a great fear of change. I am going to make a concerted effort in the coming year to engage in significant and insignificant changes: my hair, my clothes, my habits, my diet...

I fear lots of things, but I don't want to write them down because of the Law of Attraction.

My biggest fear is losing people. It does not matter whether it is through death or other means. It's only men, so I'm sure it has to do with my parents getting divorced when I was a child. I didn't have a real good relationship with my dad for a long time and I missed it dearly. I think I understand that now and I'm hoping that understanding will lead to letting go.

I fear I will not take action to make things happen in my life. I will consciously decide to take risks and let go.

I don't really have an ongoing fear -- an occasional ephemeral one, but that's about all.

I have a fear of people dying. It makes me get really worried - like my heart beats faster, I can't sleep, I can't think about anything else. I worry most about my daughter and my husband. I don't know how I plan on letting it go or overcoming it. I just feel like I would die if either of them died...and I don't know how to deal with that.

I have a fear of speaking in public or speaking to people about things I really care about and I realized that the fear is confrontation. I do not like confrontation and I have this fear of not being able to explain myself or my decisions about the choices I make so I hold my tongue when I know I should be saying something. At the same time I have had in the past a problem about standing up for myself. I have gotten better at that but I wish I could have more confidence in that area. I want to use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to overcome these fears. It seems to work good with other things so why not this.

Communicating with my children about money matters. This year I must overcome this fear to speak clearly

I'm afraid I'll never make enough money to have a family and be able to support myself and my kids the way my family supported me. Part of me thinks, because people have told me so, that I should just relax and that everything happens in time and that I shouldn't worry. But I have a hard time accepting that kind of a passive approach. I don't know whether I should overcome it by action or just let it go.

I fear of having a husband, or should I say it: Life Partner, who can't be my bestfriend..who won't stay with me thru my ups and downs. So I plan to befriend the guys, dating various types of guys (Sorry guys, I know you will not love to hear this. But this is an important thing to do in selecting a mate). So at the end of the day, I come with a conclusion of what kind of guy who fits me..with all my goods and bads. I'll pick one this year, that's for sure.. :)

I have a deep fear of rejection which leads to social anxiety. I have battled shyness for my entire life. I must step out of my comfort zone, and speak more. I must be grateful that I am surrounded by supportive people who could care less how much I speak or how "perfect" it is. What is the likelihood of rejection, or abandonment? What is the risk of getting too close?

I was afraid of moving away and then breaking down. I've moved though, and I've been here for almost two weeks. So far so good. I'm here for two years, so I'm going to make the best of it.

I have a fear of being vulnerable with people who aren't my friends or family, specifically in romantic relationships. When I feel myself getting vulnerable and losing control of the situation, I retreat or get defensive. I am going to continue counseling to help me work on this issue and hopefully I will be able to put these new skills to work and start dating someone.

My biggest fear is that after I die my adult children, with disabilities, will not have anyone to advocate for them and that they will end up being abused and used by unethical people. In all honesty, I don't know how to let it go or to over come it.

As a Christian, fear is a not a quality I want to verbalize or discuss. It's not allowed along the Christian walk. God is more than enough to supply all my needs. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 Matthew 6:2525 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I work in a very technical environment and I am in my fifties. I fear the amount of change which I must absorb continuously to do my job properly. I am coming to realize that the strengths I bring to my job include helping others absorb the changes as well... if I let a lot of the more technical aspects get handled by those people who are more facile or who enjoy always being on the cutting edge then it can free me to help facilitate technological change for others in the organization.

I have only one fear: What if I never write The Great American Novel? For the last five years, my New Year's wish has always been the same: to finish the Whit book. But I haven't. Not the Whit book or any other. I'm afraid it won't be good enough. I'm afraid nobody will like it. But if I don't finish, how will I know what the story is? Am I afraid to let him go? This year the distraction is AMICI. But it has been said that your life's work can be completed in half an hour a day. I will promise myself at least that 30 minutes.

I wake up almost every night around 3 a.m. feeling a sense of panic that our business is circling the drain. Then this middle of the night anxiety begins to grow into the fear that my husband will die, I will be alone and deserted and I will be destitute and dependent on my sons. I plan to look at the reality of endless creative possibilities and overcoming the fear of being alone.

I'm scared to let someone see me naked, so much so that I think I torpedo any possible chance of romance in order to avoid it. I guess the only way to work on it is to do it.

I am actually learning not to have fear. There are two forces: Fear and Love. Fear is the bad side that inspires anger, jealousy, rage, envy and a whole list of other undesirable qualities. Love is the bright side that inspires joy, cooperation, uinderstanding and all of the pleasant qualities for which we strive. Therefore, I am letting go of fear in total in order to have a life full of only Love and the qualities that come with it. Fear stands in the way of progress and relationships and success. Letting go and letting God! That is lack of fear!!

I am scared of being violated like i feel like i am after a rough romantic situation or when i go to the gyno. It is this old fear, from a long time ago, but i am ready to let it go.

I fear being misunderstood, so I overcompensate. As a result, many people do not understand my personality, which is ironic. In the coming year, I will aspire to trust myself and others more, as I have found that I tend to express myself most clearly when I am full of self-confidence.

I have a fear of not performing my job as well as it should be performed. That fear (which may be totally unfounded) causes me a lot of anxiety while I am working. Maybe studying how to overcome that anxious response will be the thing I investigate (referencing question 8) in the coming year. I surely would like to get rid of that constant worry.

Fear of rejection, fear of commitment. Basically, fear of relationships. Since I divorced 10 years ago, I haven't been in a relationship, my excuse was that I didn't have time for it because my very young children needed me. Which was actually true, they've turned out very well. But now that they're in their teens, I'm going to be faced with an empty nest soon, and I don't want to be alone. I've tried dating sites once or twice, I'm now going to try it again, but in my past experiences, I was just plain afraid to meet anyone. I didn't want to like the person too much, or I didn't want them to like me too much -a vicious cycle. I think I've finally got my head in a place where I can go into it without any expectations.

I have a fear of taking the next step. I know I'm stagnating where I am, but I'm comfortable here. I need to get out & meet people outside of my current circle to build confidence in myself & my skills.

The fear I have currently is that my ex-partner's new lover will move in to the family home and be the man raising my children, that and that I have lost my ex forever. It's limiting me at the moment as I am being treated for depression due to the upheaval. It is still too recent for me to see a way to overcome this fear or to let my ex go. Let's see what the next 12 months brings...

I am getting fearful of job interviews because I have been turned down. I know the economy is bad and it is hard to find a job but I take it so personally.

I am constantly afraid of being broke. This was my reason for dropping out of law school, for not finishing my masters, for sticking with dead end jobs until I reached the dead end I saw coming years away. I know this has also caused health problems, and most likely is the cause for all of the weight gain over the last 3 years. I don't really even understand why I have this all-encompassing fear. I'm never on the verge of becoming homeless or really even poor. I am thoroughly blessed with a family that will not let that happen. Of course I don't want to place any expectations on that being available to me, but you'd think the knowledge of it would kill some of the worry. There's no telling whether I'll be able to overcome this, but hopefully my husband will be able to contribute more and I won't have as much to worry about. I always try to remove some of the importance I place on things in my mind, to place my trust in God, or at least to realize that my situation is not dire and it's a long way from getting there, but the reassurance only lasts a little while.

My fear is that I will die if I can't gain control of my health. Obviously, I can't let it go, so I am once again trying to overcome the lack of support from my family and take control.

I fear that I won't be a good wife. That I wont' be able to get pregnant, and that we won't be able to be a happy healthy couple.

I have a fear of people not liking me. I want to allow myself to realise that if people don't like me, that's their problem, and it's the people who do that matter. I want to stop feeling like I've always got to please everyone else all of the time, and do things for me occasionally, and not allow people to walk all over me anymore.

I am afraid of people thinking ill of me. I know it is silly - I live my life the best that I can, but I work very hard to be a good person, and the thought that my hard work does not count is very upsetting. I will overcome it by reminding myself that not everyone can be pleased, not everyone will be happy, and all that I ask of others is that they try their best, so I should hold myself to the same standard.

I fear that life will pass me by at a great speed and before I know it I will be in my mid 40's wondering where my life went and regretting not doing more with it. This is why this year instead of spending all of my money on clothes, make up and nights out and going away on day trips and travelling and seeing the world to experience different countries and cultures. I would prefer to regret things I have done than things I haven't done.

Nothing is true...everything is permitted.

Failure. I feel that I compare myself too much to others when judging "success" so this year I will try to judge my success on me alone and how I feel about what I have done. The fact is, I am very different than most of my friends and so judging success based on them will only lead to me failing. I also have a fear of being unliked, which leads me to involve myself in many things so that people will look up to me and like me. I need to start doing things because I like them, and for no other reason.

Fear of failure. I recently was at the low point of my life... Four years ago, I had two jobs (one full-time, one three-quarter time), and was at the apex of my career. In six months, I lost BOTH jobs and have been without a paycheck for over three years. I have applied to more than 500 jobs, gone on exactly three interviews, and been hired by ZERO employers. I have a Plan B, but it involves INDEPENDENT SALES, which is the WORST thing for me right now. The fear of failure has me frozen and I can't seem to break it. I'm also writing a novel (my first) and the book has the potential of becoming a best-seller (on the subject matter). But I have been flagging in that pursuit, also because of low self-esteem and fear of failure. Yesterday, I saw a sign on a marquee: WHAT COULD YOU ACCOMPLISH IF YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T FAIL? I am starting to believe in myself again. Winning the battle for the mind is the key. I am now flooding my thoughts with super-positive, motivational thoughts and am going to overcome my situation!

Just in general, my anxiety has held me back. I am always thinking of things that I could have, should have done, but I was too afraid of the consequences or anything bad that could happen. It's something I think I've done a good job of actually overcoming so far. There is still a lot of work to do. My main issue now is worrying about things I can't control. I waste a lot of time and energy worrying about these things. Hopefully when these things happen I can learn to control my thoughts and help myself understand that there's nothing I can do. I have to think rationally. Hopefully that will help me change.

I have a fear of being judged, I constantly worry about how other people see me... This makes me very secretive & difficult to get close to.... I always mess around & make jokes to cover up my insecurity but although this has made me many friends the insecurity still remains... I am trying to learn to love myself a bit more... & maybe then when others say they love me I will trust & believe them....

I'm afraid of getting hurt in a romantic relationship again. I never fully let myself be happy in relationships. It's why I think I refuse to let them work and blame it on the other person. By this time next year, I simply want to be ready to fall in love.

I have a fear of hurting myself. I remember when I was young, I would play volleyball, and bike down a hill without thinking about it. Now I wonder if I'm going to slip and break my wrist, or shatter my knee or sprain my ankle for the millionth time. I'm not really sure how to overcome it. I think maybe if I get stronger, more physically fit, I might think I can rely on my body more.

I am afraid of being alone/ lonely. I think it leads me to love people who don't deserve my love, because I feel like I have to grab at opportunities (and people) before they're gone. I want to be more discerning in my love, and more comfortable with lonliness.

I don't really know how to answer this question. I'm not sure my fears are so tremendous that they do limit me. Like everyone, I worry about things and wish things were different at times, but life is too short to spend with fear and regret determining your path.

Iam in an unbelievable realtionship with a woman 24 years younger. I worry that I will not be able to satisfy her sexual needs down the road. We've been friends for about a year and sexually active for a couple months. We are in love and all that came before the sex. I was hesitant but she pursued until I gave in. I love her so much and dont want to lose this beautiful girl

I have a fear that I will never really get to achieve much, that I will never really be good enough to do what I want to and really I only have myself that is holding me back from going where I want to be. My approach to this is take it one day at a time and remind myself everything will be OK...there really is not reason why it will not be.

I am afraid of being wildly successful. One of my favorite songs says "get out your way and let your light shine." I have so much talent and potential, but something keeps getting in the way of putting myself out there. So, this year I am going to put myself out there, enter contests, go to poetry readings, write more, whether I want to or not. I commit to pushing through whatever this crazy fear is.

That I will loose my job and have no means of support. I have no family left and am alone so not having a job is a major fear in this economy. I'm doing all I can at work to keep current with skills and being super helpful.

When i look at the other sample answers I nod my head and say "yup", thats a good one. I fear that I won't push myself enough to move past my anger and resentment and that I will end up like my Zeidi. He possessed anger and resentments toward others till the day he died. In fact he had a list of people that he still had anger towards. I need to go back to therapy or learn more about the whole concept of "letting go". right now its hard. I hope i can move on.

I have a weird fear of just talking. I need to overcome this and just talk to people because that's how you meet people and how you make friends. BY TALKING. Not only making friends, but jobs and internships, professors. So, yeah. I'll work on that.

I am old and ill, and handicapped physically, and these are my end days: I am fearful I will not finish what I have to do before I die, or before I lose myself into dementia. I have fretted so much about my unfinished tasks that I have more or less paralyzed my ability to actually DO something about it all, hiding in the things that give me pleasure and not accomplishing those tasks I have ignored for years, tasks of my own setting. Tch. I have been working on coming out of those depths, and cutting down on the self-indulgence, and realizing that worry is foolish and self-defeating. I knew that, I just hid from the knowledge! More and more often I hear my inner voice morph into my parents's voices telling me to get up and get going, and so I have put the only picture I have of them on the computer as my screen saver, to greet me coming and going and remind me that I have things to do and far to go before nightfall.

There is a deep undercurrent in my family that I've feared ever since I was able to discern it. Too many of my family members settled for less, compromised their dreams, or accepted failure rather than living up to and embodying their true greatness. Each person has been incredibly gifted, intelligent and creative, but refused or was unable to realize their full potential. My father was at one time a brilliant, creative and gorgeous man, but became a drug addict, never held a job, was conserved by the county and ultimately died alone. He made constant excuses for why he couldn't be more and though I do recognize that drug addiction is crippling, it never seemed a good enough reason for throwing his whole life away. Ironically, the voices of my family members echo in my head, urging me on, beseeching me to do great things and to not fear failure. I feel them behind me, supporting me, perhaps even living through me, but deep down inside, I'm terrified of getting to the end of my life and regretting not having done more. As a result, I try really hard to live my best life NOW - to do the things that I dream about - to be the person that I aspire to be. In the coming year, I want to face this fear more fully and dive into life.

Fear of not doing the best/maintaining4.0/perfectionism stuff. Plan on letting it go by focusing more on the essentials. Caring more, and loving others more instead of being the best.

I am scared of not having money. I have a total fear of losing my sense of security to the point that I have been doing the opposite of what I want for years. I don't know how to change it or if I can.

I have a fear of putting my creative work out in the world in a bigger way. It has limited me in that I have goals that I'm working toward...but a little too slowly. I know it's time to take a big leap and I am pushing myself to do so, despite the fear.

I was recently diagnosed with cancer. The fear? Dying. It hasn't limited me at all. It has only made me stronger. I have found God. I purposely lost weight, and started biking. I plan on retracing the steps of my ancestors in the US and beyond. Someday, I will meet them all in heaven.

I'm afraid of directly confronting my finances. I do enough to stay out of trouble. and my domestic partner handles my investments. But I used to be hands on in all of this and thought I was doing a good job, on track for retirement, when it went to hell in a handbasket. I have a plan to make it, eke it through, by continuing to work and taking Soc Sec at 66 (I am now 65 and a bit), but other than that I am paralysed by a lack of belief that I can really be in charge. I feel that the money world is a great big crap shoot and the casino owners are the only ones with power. I also don't believe in stashing cash in mattresses. I have no plans to overcome this except through political action and trying to get different people, ones who will work for the middle class, back into positions where something can be done.

My greatest fear - perhaps my only real fear - is that I will not be able to meet my financial obligations. I want to find financial stability and I have been brainstorming like crazy but I still haven't found the key. I'm tired of living in this precarious state. I am, however, fully optimistic that I will find a way out of this!

My fear is that I won't be able to do whatever it is that I want to do. I let it paralyze me to the point that I can't even move. I plan on moving anyway, talking anyway, calling anyway, doing it anyway - not listening to the little voice telling me I'm not good enough, not strong enough, not smart enough, not whatever.

I don't like to travel. I'm kind of a germophobe when it comes to those things; I don't like getting sick. I don't like airplanes, because I feel they're somewhat unsanitary, and I also can't be around anyone vomiting. I also have a fear (and fascination) with the idea of a plane crash. So all in all, I have a really hard time going anywhere, since I live on an island. I don't plan on overcoming it in the next year, but I do plan to travel just a bit more, year after year. Take it slow, and eventually just be comfortable doing it.

I am afraid to be home alone. I say that it started last winter when I thought I heard a knock on my bedroom door late at night when no one was home, but I'm pretty sure I've always been afraid of being home alone. I have an active imagination and usually think that any little noise is someone in the house. It makes me hate being home alone, when really I would love some quiet time to myself when I could do what I wanted in my own house. I feel like I am vulnerable and like I can't protect myself. I took one of those self-defense classes in college, but didn't go to the last class b/c I was afraid to defend myself. I was afraid I'd fail. Maybe I should try one of those again.

I fear getting sick, really sick. Being incapacitated in some way - becoming dependent. Staying healthy. Really making an overhaul in my and my families' health.

People. I am afraid of groups of people. Not to the point of complete agoraphobia, but to the point of avoiding having to interact with others outside of my family. I wasn't always this way, but this has been building for many years now and I cripples me. When I return to school, it helps. Hopefully, I will be able to return and work on overcoming this horrible feeling.

I have a fear of not being good enough, and I equate good enough with being best at what I do. The limitation this causes me is that I can easily be anxious and inefficient in my work, because I have to keep going back to check, re-check and improve what I've already done. I worry about who's gaining on me. I'm jealous of the people who do the same work as me - I'm more likely to see them as competitors that peers. I will work on this by cultivating more of an open heart, and building generosity toward my peers as well as toward myself. I am working on being more compassionate with myself. If I can trust that I'm really good enough as I am, what other people do or don't do won't affect my own sense of worth.

My biggest fear is of failure. Failure to succeed, failure to make mistakes, failure to achieve, failure to lose weight, failure in marriage, failure in love, fear of confrontation. You name it, I've got big problems with the fear of failure. It's my plan, my hope and intention to face the fear head on, make mistakes and realize that if I don't attempt things that I'm fearful of, I'll never move in the direction I'm trying to take. Take the risk, stop being so polite, move ahead with things you simply don't know how to do. There will be obstacles, there will be regrets, but more importantly, there will be successes that I've never experienced before.

I'm scared of marrying the wrong girl and ending up in an unhappy marriage like my parents were. This fear comes from almost marrying the wrong girl, and my parents. Now I have an awesome girl but I'm scared to marry her. This view of life shows little faith, so I hope to put more faith in God concerning this matter, trusting Him that he won't let me make a mistake, just as he kept me from making the mistake of marrying the other girl.

I'm afraid of romantic rejection, and of ultimately being alone, which can sometimes cause me to stay in (very) imperfect relationships just because it feels better to be with someone than to be alone. I'd like to give myself permission in the coming year to acknowledge when a relationship isn't working and to let it go, even though that means starting over with another partner.

I fear that this is as good as it's going to get. It limits my dreams and my passions. I have no hope. Letting it go seems impossible unless something changes.

I have so many fears it's hard to pick just one. It's gotten to where my fears cripple me almost. They hold me back from so much. I fear getting hurt, I fear failing, I fear the uknown, I fear change, I fear having people rely on me. So many fears. Sometimes I feel like if I were more fit I could handle physical fears. I don't know what to do about personal fears. Facing them head on is a good way to go. But I've practiced avoidance for so long. I can't remember a time where I wasn't fearful of something. I remember times when I was less fearful. Honestly I'd say that physical set backs have made a lot more fearful of things. I fear hurting my knees again. I fear physical things because I'm in horrible shape. Running, walking, climbing, balance are all things that scare me. I think that this year should be spent trying to lose some of that physical fear. Just being a little more fit would do me a world of good.

Losing my boyfriend is my worst fear. Thanks to previous experiences I didn't think I would trust someone as much as I did before, but I do and more so. I know he could break my heart but he's promised not to and I believe him. It means I'll suddenly think of what would happen if he did leave me and it almost leaves me in tears. I hope that after staying together for over a year I'll be more confident in us. I love you Emma Lewins! No matter what you think im not in a mood XD x x x

I am fearful of an unfulfilled, lackluster life. I need to pursue more adventure & perpetual challenge. I need to push & push & enjoy!!!

That's easy. My biggest fear in life, my entire life, is and has been, the fear of failing. It has limited me because I'm so afraid to fail, I'd rather not proceed or take part in anything, because I "can't" fail. I am scared I am going to pass this onto my son, but I don't know HOW to let go. It's very easy for others to just say, deal with it or suck it up (and others HAVE said that to me)...but it's been a part of me for so long...I just can't part with it.:(

'I've gone for too long, Living like I'm not alive, So I'm going to start over tonight, Beginning with you and I. Don't want to run from, Anything uncomfortable, I just want...no...I just need this pain to end right here." I'm done being hesitant. It's time to choose, it's time to start my life, it's time to start taking chances and dealing with the consequences of those chances. I can't float anymore. I need to get grounded and get moving. Everything needs to change.

Socializing. I'm terribly afraid that people will reject me and of being alone. I am working incredibly hard with DBT to fix this and to have better interpersonal skills. I need to have friends!

I have a great fear of being abandoned, being alone. It has caused a lot of problems with my boyfriend and makes it so that any little change in plans will send me into a depression. I'm not sure how I can overcome it but I'm hoping that with my boyfriends help, I will at least get better at controlling it.

I have a fear of what people think of me. I'm just going to keep putting myself out there, and being myself!!

Fear of rejection. I have no plans to overcome it, because I know that I would chicken out at the last opportunity.

The fear of intimate relationships, which is a fear of both rejection and acceptance, a co-mingled fear of staying an outsider and becoming an insider. I'm afraid of the difficulty of being in my mind, emotions, and body at the same time. I'm afraid of acting and reacting genuinely among witnesses. I don't know how to address this problem, other than faithfully continuing the slow work I've begun over the past three years.

fear of rejection fear of my partner being hurt fear of really beleiving in myself letting go by being present in the moment making time for myself breathing

oh. light, burn, flame. all I can say for now:) Bene Gesserit Litany.

Fear of "not having" infects my entire life and has since I was quite young. This isn't just a financial fear it encompasses many aspects of my life. Fear of not being loved, of not having sufficient financial resources to take me through my declining years, fear of not having the time or money to make decisions that could improve or at least change my life. Being stuck in that fear results in no forward movement, no "splendid" if risky choices. This is so ingrained that I am not certain there is a way around it at 65. I am trying, as Ram Dass says, to learn to invite this demon into tea.

My last relationship was awful and made me ill.I'm frightened of entering fully into a new relationship in case I make all the same mistakes. At 62 I don't even know if I want one. Yet I don't know if I want to stay alone. Time will tell.

I'm fearful of making the wrong decision. I'm afraid of being rejected. Of not taking a chance. Of not making anything of myself. I envy people who have no sense of self - they feel very little embarrassment, are rarely self-conscious. I know that's no way to live but ignorance is certainly bliss. Something that struck me recently was this saying: "What will you attempt knowing that you will ultimately succeed, despite all the "failures" that are sure to come along the way?" It's a good thing to keep in mind.

Fear of completion or success. Need to quiet that super inner-critic who says I don't deserve to have it happen...

I am afraid to make a final decision regarding having a child. I am afraid that either way, I will regret the choice I make. Either I will lament my loss of freedom, or I will be plagued by the wonder of what it might have been like to be a mother. It has left me stuck in a place of indecision which takes up soooo much time and energy. It keeps me from moving forward with certainty in my life and relationship. I feel like I am waiting for something before I can continue my life path. In the coming year, I plan to continue seeking my truth on this subject. To come to know which choice is right for me.

Many parents worry about their children. Of course, I do too. But I would rather do my very best to prepare them for the world and teach them right from wrong. Anything I miss, I put in God's hands. I pray for God's help that I might be the best parent I can be. I pray that God watches over them when I cannot.

A fear of mine has always been losing the love of my life, he left me 3 weeks ago. After that my biggest fear became that he wouldn't want me back. Since i do still love him, and want him to want me back. But I guess that's never gonna happen. Another big frantic fear is heights. I just hate heights.. whether i'm walking, driving or flying, i absolutley hate it. I'm gonna go soaring next year, maybe even bungee jumping or parachuting. I don't know, but I'm gonna be a daredevil! and offcourse a thrillseeker!

I'm pretty much a phobophobe. :-) Fear limits many of the things I do. Fear of losing my job, fear of the economy, fear of not being able to retire, fear of growing old without someone to share my "golden" years with, fear for my country's fearfulness. See what I mean? It takes a lot of energy to be this afraid all the time. My fear of not being perfect is thing that holds me back. I know this. I know the only way to overcome it is to DO the thing I'm afraid of and KEEP doing it until I'm comfortable. The satisfaction of this accomplishment will give me enough pride in myself to sustain me for the rest of my life-- all I have to do, is do it. 2011 is the year.

Right now my biggest fear is not being able to have a decent paying job to support my family. Each day I wake up expecting to overcome this fear - to work to get a job - but by the end of the day I am beat down and defeated. I plan to keep waking up with a positive attitude and expect that at some point all my work and effort will pay off.

I'm scared of speaking in public.. I'm scared of doing something wrong.. I'm scard of love..

So afraid of losing my sister to cancer and my aging parents to serious health concerns. Trying to focus on the beautiful memories that we share and spending as much time together as possible.

I have a fear of flying that is quite intense but not quite enough that I can't get on a plane at all. I have to continually force myself to fly and talk myself down. I think I need to to continue with this method and just keep facing my fear.

I am afraid of change. I plan to leap and have faith.

I fear the pain and discomfort of the process of becoming a non smoker ! I plan to not smoke a moment at a time with no judgment of the future good or bad ! All we have is each moment in life !

I'm actually afraid of losing touch with my best friend when he graduates this fall. It was really hard for me when he left on his internship over the summer, we got so close, and I completely freaked out. He's been my support system whenever something's gone wrong, and since I've had a lot of so-called important people who've let me down, he means a lot to me. I'm working on it in therapy, but it's a day by day process. Hopefully, we can find a way to keep our friendship when we're both done with school.

I have a fear of flying but I have never let it limit me becaue I love to travel so much. On my last trip I closed my eyes during takeoff and counted backwards very slowly while taking deep breaths. By the time I got to zero we had leveled off and I felt better. Next time (in November) I'm going to also wear earplugs. If it doesn't work I guess I'll just resort to drugs!

Shy to play music, singing has been ok but with an instrument I get paralyzed. I would like to be as natural with learning to play an instrument as I am with learning a new voice piece. To be comfortable with teaching what I know, to make room for the further learning I desire. I plan on offering a place and leading weekday davenning, sharing the liturgy I know. I plan on exploring the scope of a possible Kabbalah class, and then offering it.

A fear I have is of being talentless and leading an unexciting, insignificant life. This fear limits me because I never fully commit to anything for fear of being 'found out', and not good enough. I plan on letting it go this year by beginning to write freelance outside work, committing myself to writing a regular blog, and And committing myself to being the absolute best I can be in the job I have, until I decide whether it is the job I wish to stay in.

Fear of searching for a new job. Not sure.

I have a fear of changing too much. I have been one way so long that I worry what others will think if I suddenly change. This is holding me back from growing up and being who I really am. I am helping myself by making gradual changes, I hope that what is currently working for me continues to do so.

I don't like roller coasters. I don't like feeling physically out of control. I have been riding a tandem with my husband, which is an exercise in trust, in giving up control. We were going down the Stone House Road at a speed that I wouldn't have been comfortable with on my own--and was. I was comfortable riding on 66 with him (wouldn't have been on my own). Maybe we'll try 322. Riding with him pushes me to test my (self-imposed) limits.

I have had a long time fear that others will see me to be a fake and a liar and no longer care about me or want to be with me. I look at some of the things I've done in the past and judge myself on a tilted scale, but I still feel like there are a lot of things that show me to be phony and unreliable. In the coming year I can strive to counteract the traits that I attach to peoples negative view of me. Honesty, sincerity, devotion, sacrifice, selflessness, and honest-to-God Love. That will ease my fear of exposure, loss, and being alone without friends or family.

As I get older, my claustrophobia and fear of heights is impeding more and more on my day to day life. I'm going to try and take more elevators and simply try to stop letting the fears rule my life.

I fear that the decisions I am making now will work out to be the wrong ones in the future. I sometimes feel like I am not working hard enough towards my end goal or even discovering what that end goal actually is and so I hate the fact that I could be holding myself back without even knowing it... should I be doing more? I hope to be able to assess my path over this coming year and find oout where I want to be for the future and not just where I want to be now.

Working for myself - no security net of health insurance and a regular salary. It's a very scary step for me, but I'm challenging myself to make it happen in 2011.

I fear the world will fall for the war economy. But as long as I'm still alive I'll tell the people to not let that happend, and do it myself.

I am terrified that something will happen to my kids, especially when I am traveling. I can't think about it or it will paralyze me, and they are generally sensible, clever little guys and knock wood we've been safe and lucky so far. But when one of them is not where they are supposed to be, panic has taken over in me. I'm getting better at damping it down, but then again, I think a little anxiety is good for me. So I don't want to overcome it or ignore it - I just want to balance it and look at it more realistically.

I am terrified of not being able to pay my bills. I have lived one paycheck from the street for the past several years. Working poverty has forced me to ration gas, groceries, and medications. I cannot help my son or my aging mother. I hate these circumstances, and the idea that no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to manage to climb out of this hole.

I am so terrified of failing. Of what exactly, I'm not sure. I am terrified of not doing everything I want to, of not living up to others expectations, of missing opportunities and not trying my hardest and doing my best. A lot of the time this means I feel paralyzed and don't do anything - its easier not to try and not fail, than it is to try and maybe fail - I guess this is how my body feels sometimes. But I'm ready to leave that behind, it restricts me and holds me back - I want to jump off an away from it. It feels like its strangling me and I'm ready to brake free.

I am afraid that I won't do what I want because of laziness. That I won't make the required effort to experience something amazing, rather I will worry about what could go wrong and dwell on that. I can not allow this to happen this year. I need to start believing in myself and take some credible leaps of faith. I think it will bring me more joy and self-satisfaction than I could ever imagine if I follow through.

not making the right decision - maybe not even asking the right question. i'm working on it, and working on being less judgmental of myself, but it's hard. i'm afraid that i will just let time continue to pass by hoping that life works everything out for me in a way that i'd like. at the same time, i don't want to rush into a decision just for the sake of it. i know, intellectually, that i will be ok either way. i don't want to be the villain that forces issues. so maybe, long before i get to the villain it's about me stopping myself way up the road by not making any choice at all...

I fear that I will be a mother like my mother. I want to work on listening more and being in the moment instead of fearing for the next several years all rolled into "this" moment. Sorta of a life struggle, but I hope to make a little progress every year.

I'm afraid of many things. Mainly, my parents dying and the uncertainty of the future. I'm going to try and accept death, and go with the flow, as well as planning and thinking more about the future.

My biggest fear right now is becoming disabled so that I can no longer stay in my own home. I can only allay that fear by being in the reality of the now. I know that whatever comes I will be alright. I've adapted to changes before and hopefully will be able to do so in the future. I am looking forward to a good year! Walking in the sunlight of the spirit. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

I have a fear of speaking in public. It definitely limits me in group situations, but I am going to try and get over it by speaking more in groups etc.

I am afraid of being a bad friend/ daughter/ partner. Sometimes this fear leads me to live smaller, so that I end up being a bad friend to myself. I've worked on this a lot in the past year... and am slowly finding that I can lovingly look out for my own interests without compromising those I love.

I'm afraid of losing the things that make me like myself. Like reading and knowing things about the South, cooking great meals and decorating. I plan to spend more time enriching myself.

I'm always scared I don't have enough energy to do the things I really want to do. But lately I've been trying to realize that it's all in my head. So instead of wallowing in my tiredness, I've just started DOING things, and so far it's worked. It really helps that my sister has a lot of the values of the type of person I want to become, so there is always that motivator. It makes it seem achievable.

I have a fear of people. I do not do well in large groups and tend to sneak away. I have had a fear of people judging me and critizing me, for me being me. I believe the only way for me to overcome this is to stop judging them first.

Being alone it would seem!!! Or is it being unnattractive? I think the latter. Funny I was just arguing the case for being loved for something other than my looks just moments ago. Maybe that's the point, I want to be seen and found attractive for the whole of me? yes, probably. I'm not letting go of it.

Not having enough money. Making Dave make more money!

I have a fear of not being smart or talented enough. Little by little I am learning to accept myself for who I am and having confidence that I am good enough.

I am afraid of being wrong. I am afraid of being shouted at. I have let these lead me to be timid and not stand up as strongly as I can for the things I need to stand for. I hope to push through this at least a few times in the coming year.

I have a fear of putting myself out there, business-wise. I'm uncomfortable drumming up business, through cold calls, or even with people I know. I think it stems from childhood, but I'm not sure. My mother never worked outside the home and money was not talked about in my family. Also, selling yourself -- pressing your strengths, etc. -- seemed like bragging. It seemed uncouth, or something. For some reason, I've generally shied away from promoting myself. It's a vague discomfort, not overt fear, but I'm sure it's rooted in fear. As a result, I'm not as successful as I might be if I got the word out.

I have a fear of losing my financial independence and having to become financially dependent on my daughters and their husbands. I worry about it every day. I hope that the steps I take in the coming year to improve my situation and ensure my survival will help to reduce those fears.

Failure. Humiliation. Finding out that I am not able to do all that I believe I can. I end up procrastinating on ideas and projects that could be beneficial and fulfilling. I have decided that I would rather fail than never know what was possible. This year at worst I will fail trying rather than do nothing.

I fear failure to the point where I don't try. I end up missing out on great opportunities and I feel really bad about that. In the coming year I'm going to work to quell that fear when I feel it.

One of my biggest fears is losing the most important people and things on my life. I find it hard to cope with a loss and separation of someone or something that I have grown accustomed to. Another big fear is failure. As a perfectionist, I strive to make everything go as planned and orderly as possible. With boosts of confidence and growth or self-esteem, I can pass through these fears and accomplish all my personal goals in life.

I have a fear of being too assertive to others. I know I have to let that go so I can accomplish my sales goals and make a better life for myself and future family. I also have the fear of being alone forever. Sometimes I think that shows, and pushes people away even more. I need to learn to accept myself and understand that I'm never alone because I've got the best friends in the world.

I've always have fears of not being good enough, and being found out as a fake. I thing it comes with my low self-esteem, depression and all. I finished my PGCE with merit, but I still think I should have done better. I've had it for so long that I don't have any idea of how to let go of it.

I'm afraid of moving on from my first (and only) boyfriend. I feel like I will never be able to find another guy like him... What I am beginning to realize, however, is that God has so much more in store for me than what that boy gave me. I know I can trust God to heal my wounds and give me patience to wait for someone wonderful.

I'm afraid that when I am sick or when I am old I will be alone. Since I don't have children or a spouse, I'm not sure how I am going to face the inevitable challenges that life hands out. I don't know how I'm going to overcome this, but it seems like a good idea to cultivate younger friends, to care about their children, to welcome more people into my home. That's going to take a major shift in perspective and in how I organize my space and my thinking.

I have a fear of not trusting in my decisions to be the right ones. I want to make the right choices, the smart choices but I seem to make the wrong ones and don't know why. I need therapy! So I guess I make an appointment and go get help from a professional to overcome this problem.

my mother's health worsening. I don't know if I will ever overcome it, but I have put into perspective that things can always be worse. And I'm lucky to have a family that bands together and incredible mother that inspires everyone who knows her.

Agorophobia. I plan on going to the doctor about it.

I fear that I will take on the bad aspects of my father and I don't think it's limited to me, I think many feel the same way. Hopefully, this is something I'll never let go and will be cognizant of it when I take actions in the future.

I'm afraid of failing. I'm afraid of letting people down. I want to accomplish something, I'm just so scared that I'm going to quit...again.

Fear of not being liked. I want so badly to be liked that I sometimes do things I know I shouldn't do, just to be liked. I'd rather stick to my convictions.

I am afraid of intimacy, no-one but no-one knows all the real me. I worry that it will adversely affect my children. I don't know how to put it right.

I am afraid that I'm not good enough. That my husband realizes he could have done much better, that my employer is slightly disappointed, that my friends love but pity me. You would never know this if you met me. I am assertive, confident, and fairly successful with an incredible life. Psychology 101 says it stems from being given up for adoption at birth, but knowing the root of the problem doesn't make it go away.

Fear of coming out as trans. I will almost certainly start telling people this year, and have already made a good start with telling my parents/close friends. Future me, i hope everyone knows. If not, well, i'm sure you had a good reason.

Perfectionism limits me. I worry that I cannot do something to the best of my ability (or that I don't have the skills to do it at all). I also worry about appearing to be less intelligent than I am! It is hard to let go of these patterns, but in the past I have been able to limit my reaction to these kinds of thoughts or expectations with the help of friends, a homeopath, and recognizing my happiness. I hope to do that again in the coming year!

I'm scared I'm not making the most of my life so I plan on doing as much as I can in the coming year. I want to learn new things, go to new and exciting places and start standing up for things I believe in.

Fear of delving more deeply into writing, fear of death--maybe they're the same?! Overcoming my aversion to more deeply committing to my creativity is a death of sorts, a death of all the more trivial things I do to occupy my time. Perhaps I'm afraid of giving these up, even though I know in my heart that going more deeply into my writing would be satisfying and challenging.

I think that hidden deep inside my most childlike heart is the fear that I am not good enough, not worthy of love. It doesn't manifest outwardly, I don't think, but I find myself obsessing about what I have or have not done for others and why aren't they doing the same back for me. I must be looking for external validation and probably from the wrong people. And this fear leads to resentment, and resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It's a horrible feeling. I will continue my meditation practice and try not to shy away from these tender vulnerable parts of me that feel so raw and unprotected. I will work on accepting all of it, which is all of me. I will also use my Al-Anon tools to let go of resentment. It is appropriate that I am beginning the new year, 9/20, with a commitment to work on the 12 Steps for 12 weeks with women from my Al-Anon parents group.

My fear is being stuck in this situation forever. Mortgage, debt, fixing this old house, and never really living life. I have no way to overcome it but keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Fear of passing out. Almost happened yesterdag, they caught me up just in time. I now have these funny energy candies just for sure...although I don't think it was because of me energy that I fainted; I tend to find out why it has happened and what I can do to prevent it.

I fear bring broke. My job is not ideal. I am not making the money I once did and I am failing financially. Fear used to motivate me and now my depression is keeping me down. I need to put myself first and find the career I deserve. I must overcome my financial shortfalls.

I'm irrationally afraid of being wrong or making a mistake. This has been the bane of most of my life as it has led me to avoid taking chances or speaking out on many occasions. I'm getting better at controlling this fear, but I'm not all there yet. I'm starting to learn that other people won't judge me harshly (as that's part of the fear) for being wrong - no one's pointing and laughing. So I plan to keep growing and learning to put myself out there without fear.

I am fearful of my sons not having as full a life as they should I am afraid of them "settling" when they could be flying.

something I learned about this summer that is so true for me: FOMO. I want to do so much and see every single one of my friends all the time, but that means that I don't crack down & study when necessary. I have to be okay with not being at every single friend gathering when theres work to be done.

I have a fear of not being liked or loved. I am a disgusting people pleaser - truly I even make myself sick or embarassed by the lengths I will go to in order to ingratiate myself to others. Family, friends, co-workers, employers, no one is spared. My behavior has crippled me in many ways - no one knows the "real" me. All of my decisions are based on the wants and preferences of others - what cuisine do I prefer? - I don't even know because I always let someone else choose the restaurant and of course I always pay!!! As I have gotten older I have become increasingly frustrated by the situation I have created. I am tired - tired of always doing for others but how do I let those around me know? I am a fraud - I'm not really this agreeable - I want to stomp my feet and say, "How dare all of you walk all over me all these years?" When of course I have laid myself down as the ultimate door mat!!! I have encouraged and invited it. I need to start at home by expressing my needs and wants, but do I deserve it? Will they want to please me? Do they care?

I'm afraid that I'll never find true love again. This causes me to hang on to the one true love that I had and puts less value into any budding relationship i may have. It keeps me from falling in love again, but I can't get over it. I hope that I will work past this limitation and fall in love in the next year. Real, true love.

Fear of Failure, of not accomplishing the things I want and therefore my life wasting away into nothingness leaving nothing of value to those I leave behind. I want to leave a legacy of love and creativity when I die, but my fear of failure has kept me from taking action because I feel I have to be perfect before I can pursue my dreams. I plan to work on overcoming my fear by using my fears as a catalyst to pursue my dreams instead of allowing it to cause me to not take action, setting me on the path to accomplish my dreams and goals.

I have a fear of failure. I want to be perfect and this makes me not do things at all. It induces procrastination until I can have everything perfect, which is never. This makes me seem lazy or pretentious sometimes. I don't plan on overcoming this fear of failure, it should g away by itself when reality sets in during college.

I've been afraid to show my actual feelings, my actual desires. It used to make it hard for me to socialise; sometimes I felt stuck in certain situation, unable to express myself.

I'm terrified of bees and elevators. Bees keep me inside, elevators keep me in shape. I'm pretty sure I'll just be like this. I don't know how to overcome it.

I have a fear of rollercosters and other fast rides. I've seen many movies and read loads of stories that centre around carnivals and deaths. This doesn't help. I would like to overcome this fear but then again I don't as I'd much rather take the safe road and not risk being scared, unhappy, sick and nauseated all at the same time while travelling at such high speed down slopes and such.

That I'm not good enough or not worthy enough. I've never pursued a lot of things that I had a passion about because I always thought I wouldn't be able to achieve anything or excel at it. I plan on overcoming it by believing in myself, taking the courses and training that I need, practicing what I've learned, seeking out opportunities and just going for it when the opportunity arises. If I take a little misstep along the way, I'm going to brush it off, learn from it and keep going.

I suppose my fear lies in getting "stuck in a rut," or trapped somewhere in life that I don't want to be trapped. (relationship, job, etc.) I think the limitation occurs, only when we allow the fear to take over and rule us. Or when we believe we have no "out" or choices. I have a bit of a hurdle to make with my health (re-curring gran mal seizures...adult onset), and until that is dealt with--I am in a "holding" pattern of sorts. I already want to persevere through this though--as I am asking what the "opportunity" in disguise is--tucked within this circumstance. So, I think you let it go organically and automatically when you sink deeper into what "it" is--and not a moment before you do so. Breathe, relax and seek information.

I have a fear that I am responsible for my mother's happiness and that if my best efforts cannot make her happy, fulfilled, whole and confident, that I am a failure as a daughter. This fear gets me into situations where I feel intimidated by the potential for her emotional meltdowns, guilt trips and accusations, and I end up people pleasing her, ignoring my own instincts. When I do this, I end up causing myself, her and others close to us more problems than if I had just set a strong, loving boundary from the beginning. My prayer is to be able to act as if my mother's reaction were always going to be exactly what I wanted it to be and let her self-soothe from the fallout. With a daughter of my own on the way, I want to save my energy for her -- and for my own hopes and dreams.

My mother was an artist and a perfectionist. I would like to learn to paint but my fear of not being good enough has kept me from this. Or is it a fear of commitment? Do I really want to learn this which will require time and energy? I don't know. This goes back to the last question. Hmm?

My greatest fear is of not being enough, which will cause abandonment, which will confirm that my feelings of not being worthy are founded. This has limited me by not being fully involved and embracing life just how it comes. I plan on reminding myself I am worthy, I am enough. I am! Enough!

I still have a very genuine fear of legitimately trusting people and letting people into my life. I'd gotten so much better in the past few years, but once again experience drew me back into myself. In starting over in a new place, I can't continue to keep things to topical and on the surface if I really want to make new friends that are going to last. I need to open up.

I am terrified of being alone, growing old on my own. I need to get over it, as my fear has led me to be in relationships with entirely the wrong person in the past, just to be with someone. It isn't god for either of us and is incredibly unhealthy. I hope exploring my faith will give me the strength to be alone, and feel okay. Maybe when I'm okay being me, someone who IS the right person will come along. Maybe not.

I have a fear of starting a new job. - feeling like I am underqualified or inadequate. I keep underselling my skills. I need to get over this by believing in myself, as being unemployed sucks!

My fear is that I can't support my family as I can't find full-time employment and actually am not so excited about being a freelancer. I plan on pushing myself to work as a freelancer, while continuing to search for work...if I can find the energy and motivation to do so.

i spent so many years waiting to make change and then this year, everything changed. i left my spouse, my house, my dog, my job, my belongings. since that day, all i have been doign is making decisions on the fly and i'm afraid that i am just reacting instead of making good decisions. i want to find a happy medium this year. i want to be able to act but act with confidence.

I am afraid of letting go of my ex, for fear that I'll be lonely or something. I guess I plan on overcoming it with help from my friends and family, by being with people and doing what I love, and remembering that fear is not very real, when you get down to it.

I fear not being able to financially take care of my family. I have owned my own successful business for 28 yrs but but had a partner so I wasn't in total control. I feel that limited my success. I've since sold my interest to my partner. I want to start a new business without partners or other investors. I'll then sink or swim on my own.

I was always afraid of disappointing people, letting them down. My parents, my sisters, my teachers, my friends, everyone that somehow cares for me and for what I do. But now I've come to realize that sometimes, by trying to make them happy, I'm disappointing myself. By choosing a career that would make my parents proud of me, or making any little decision just to make other people happy, I feel like I'm setting my own happiness aside. Now I'm trying to work with myself the idea that if all this people really care for me, they will feel happy by seeing me happy more than anything else, eventually. And that the second last person that I want to disappoint right now is myself. The first one is God.

My biggest fear has been that I might be unable to have children. I've come to the conclusion that it is an unfounded fear and I am taking steps to prepare myself for motherhood.

I have a fear that I might waste my life, that I won't accomplish things. This leads me to busy all the time, but often to the neglect of things/people that I need to invest time and effort into as well. There is so much I want to do and learn and be, and never enough time to explore. I am afraid I will wind up working my life away, with nothing more to show than a trip up the ladder. Part of the issue is I'm not really sure how to live a productive, impactful life - and what I should focus on to do that. It is a constant source of anxiety and makes me feel overwhelmed and powerless.

I have to admit I am afraid of using new technologies. I am afraid I won't be able to learn it. Ipods, phones with applications all make me shut down. Don't have a plan to overcome it. Ignoring it it works.

I still fear rejection in many ways, despite being married and having children. I fear that despite being in a helping profession, that my presence is not important and will be resented rather than appreciated. Because of this there are times that I have not been present for individuals and families when my presence was not only welcome, but desired or even needed. To overcome this fear I know that I need to continually build my own self esteem, especially in a professional sense, and to be more assertive at making my presence known so that when people need me, they can rely on me to be there.

I'm afraid of failing. I know this isn't an uncommon fear, but there it is.

I am fearful of losing my fiance. Either through a move or pushing him away. I need to continue to push myself and remember that I need to articulate my own needs and not just acquiesce to his.

I have a serious fear of growing old. I've never been afraid of being alone or even of dying.... but growing old terrifies me. Everything that goes with it: the physical decay, the forgetting of certain subjects that I've spent so much time learning about... all of it. Im not sure if one year is enough time to conquer this fear, but someways of starting down that path would be to become more focused on the present and the positive (which Yoga will definitely help with) and also work towards my goal of someday becomming a teacher. If I have to forget what I've learned, at least I can pass the information on to those whose minds are still growing before its gone forever.

I have a fear of being by myself in the dark. On random nights I get scared and my eyes are constantly darting everywhere. I usually can't fall asleep until my sister comes into the room. I'm fine when someone's in the room. I've been working on overcoming it by forcing myself to close my eyes and not open them until I fall asleep, no matter what I hear or what scary thoughts come to mind.

I am afraid of rejection. It prevents me from approaching a girl I might like because I'm scared that she will react badly to what I say and reject me. I have to overcome it but approaching more strangers, as practice, and not thinking about how they will react to me or what I say. I'm also very scared of Tamara hating me or not being my friend. I value her more than anything else in my life and I can't bear to lose her as a friend. I don't plan to overcome that because it doesn't limit me in any way.

This is so hard to answer because i literally have a fear of everything. Not little things like paper clips, cracks in the sidewalk, etc. More like the dark, being assaulted, failing, being alone, etc. Im not sure what im going to do to get over it but i think the first thing for me to do is to be more social so i can get more comfortbale with strangers without getting tooo comfortable.

I don't know why, but I'm always afraid that my girlfriend is going to meet someone else and leave me for that person. I know it's stupid because she loves me and tells me that would never happen and I believe her. It's just that everyone I've been in a relationship with has left me and I'm always scared it's going to happen again because I love her so much. I think I need to talk to someone about this because I know it's unhealthy and I want to let go of this fear.

My fear is that I may become fat again like it was during my teenage years. I am very careful on what I eat and always checking the nutrition labels before purchasing said item(s).

The fear of disappointing people! It causes me to put way too much pressure on myself. I hope to care less about disappointment in the future.

Fear of everyone I love dying - fear of my mom getting sick, of me having to be accountable, of having my life hijacked, of unbearable grief. (is that too many fears to list?) To let it go or overcome it I would like to trust in something - the currents of the river, the possibility of something deeper and more magical existing - the acceptance of the balance of life and death, of being right where I am instead of creating calamity so often.

My greatest fear is to lose the people that I love, like my parents. I am getting better at handling it, but I need to let it go altogether and be 'in the moment'. Take everything the way it comes. Take every day the way it presents itself.

I have electrophobia. I've done therapy for it and gotten a lot better but I want to be able to walk on the streets when it rains when next to me are overhead wires for the trains and trams without having to constantly gaze upwards and check if I'm still safe. Or be calm when there's a thunderstorm. I think it's manageable for me, though. I force myself to stay calm and get rational thoughts and through therapy I got some pretty good strategies.

I don't really have a fear that limits me. I've taken more opportunities that have been given to me and i really haven't done that until this year but besides the fear of spider and creepy things, nothing really limits me.

I was afraid that I could not live anywhere else. My friends, my activities, and the person I became was rooted in Boston. After my travels this summer, I realized that I am not rooted in Boston, and I am able to live and survive elsewhere, whether it be a move cross-country, or a move across the world. I am going to explore professional options abroad to show myself that I can live elsewhere, and that I can make that new place my home. : )

I immediately leap ahead ten steps before making a decision, especially those that involve my family or work. The one relationship I don't do this with is the one I count on above all else. I need to learn how to bring that feeling of safety - not worrying about how the other(s) will react in bringing my ideas to bear. This all goes back to why not giving a shit is probably the way to go in all things because not worrying about things that haven't happened yet allow for life to be lived.

being completely uninhibited and vulnerable in the face of those who are shut down. I don't know how to let this go, but its something i want to figure out in this next year for sure. I feel a part of this would be to just practice open, no matter what...to not fear the outcome, to not have an agenda, but just to be completely transparent no matter what...

I'm afraid of being happy. It restricts everything I do. I'm afraid to do anything, because I know I'll look stupid. I'm afraid to tell jta I like him, because I know he probably doesn't feel the same as I do. Nobody likes fat depressed cutter girls. :*(

I'm afraid of everything right now. I'm afraid for my future, approaching 66 in a week, & suddenly abandoned by my partner, & bereft of the future we'd been planning for 6 yrs. I'm afraid of applying for a job, having no job skills or people skills & preferring to isolate. I'm afraid of volunteering because I don't think I have any skills that anyone would need. I'm afraid of being alone for the rest of my life , but afraid of looking for a new relationship....mostly becuz of what I think are unrealistic expectations of a man at my age. I'm afraid to go back to my artwork, for fear that I won't be able to achieve the level I once had. I'm afraid that my mother's estate won't be settled (after 8 yrs) in time for me to *live my life*, & that I'll be sitting in this run-down cabin & barely getting by, & become just one more dead woman walking. I'm working on expressing more optimism & gratitude for what I have, & trying to force myself to step out, to volunteer, & to do my artwork. The job thing is still overwhelming for me.

I'm not really afraid of many things. I used to be afraid of parties, but in the past year I've been to a couple of grown-up parties and really enjoyed myself. It helps knowing most of the people there, liking them, and wanting to spend time with them. I used to go into my shell at parties and just stand in a corner not talking to anyone, waiting to go home.

I have a fear of coming out of my shell. Letting loose. I tend to become very reserved. I also don't like to speak in front of large groups. I hope to work on this by balancing my fun time with my studies. I just don't know if I want to let my guard down.

I have always been athletic and the outdoors is an essential part of my life and who I am. I have lumbar spinal stinosis and fear loss of capacity to enjoy the outdoors long before loss of vitality in any other part of my life. I have almost no idea of how to overcome this fear in the coming year.

Worrying about paying for school when I get around to getting enrolled in college. I'm afraid I will end up with thousands of dollars in debts but no career that can actually pay for the debt on top of supporting 3 kids. Worried about the future of this country and the impact it will have on my family.

I'm afraid that my ruined ankle is going to define me for the rest of my life. I already have to catch myself and stop from bringing it up at inappropriate times, avoid talking about being "old," and just let it be part of me without being my most important feature. It's stupid, and I always swore that I wouldn't let aging or infirmity take over my conversation or my self image, but it's a struggle. The only way around this is self-awareness and vigilance.

Fear of rejection. Mostly I come off as too quiet or too over the top. I'm trying to moderate my behavior and not be so scared of what people think.

I can't think of any specific fear. I guess I have a certain subconscious fear of success that sometimes holds me back. I'm going to try and make sure that I complete projects I start and to find time to refine the skills I know I have.

I'm afraid that my girlfriend and I will go to different colleges. I plan on overcoming it by going near her or at the same school as long as we both would be happy with the college.

I have a terrible fear of making mistakes. It often stops me from moving forward because I'm afraid I could be wrong. I have accepted that I'm not perfect but I'm still afraid to admit it to anyone else. It seems so silly when I write it down but it's true. I'm not sure how to overcome this fear.

I have the fear of failure as a writer. I'm going to work on being okay without a published book. If I enjoy writing and always put my family first, it will be okay if I don't make any extra money. At least my kids will be able to read my books and be proud of me. (Except in the case that they can't stand my books, and then they'll just roll their eyes and smile.) At least at this point my wife likes my writing. I'll just continue writing to keep her entertained and if someone else happens to think they'll make some money that would be okay too.

My fear is being alone. Not ever finding love. I've been working on getting over it because I know that God has a plan.

I have two fears, now that I'm moving to another town. First: to not find a job, so to not be able to provide for myself. Second: i'm afraid of losing the people I love, whether because they die or just leave me. I have had too many bad experiences and I'm too scared of being alone and my life empty without them...

Failure. I don't like trying things, because I think I will mess up. I constantly second guess myself. What if I am wrong? How can I be sure I am really hearing God's voice? How do I know? Everything feels so risky. What if I completely ruin my life? What I don't realize, is that if I am seeking the will of God, I can never truly mess up. He is always there to direct me, and if something is continually on my heart, it is probably Him trying to reach me. He doesn't come out in the earthquake or the thunder, He's on the wind, in a whisper. The kite pulling on the heart strings. I need to trust myself to trust in Him.

I have learned not to give in to fear. For years I worried about what others thought about me but now, as I approach 40, I have realised that self worth is more important.

I am constantly worrying about my baby. I keep trying to over-control the situation, making sure that whomever is taking care of her is doing it exactly how I want because I have this irrational fear that if its not perfect, then she'll be "ruined." But, not only is this stressful and time consuming (writing down exactly what she should eat for lunch when anyone could open the fridge and see what food is there), but its unhealthy (and unrealistic to think that I'm doing everything perfectly.) I need to trust my husband and my nanny - I know they'll make good decisions even if they're not my decisions.

I am afraid to go out and try new things, make new friends, go to new places. I am planning to travel more, go to event and talk to new people. Hopefully this will allow me to make new friends.

I'm scared that I will never find the love of my life and get married. I know that shouldn't define me, but it does. I just want the 'typical' life to married with children. I used to think that it was a given that that would happen, but I'm becoming more aware that this isn't definite and it scares me that it won't happen. I have been single for a long time and the longer it is, the harder it is. I'm so scared of rejection that I avoid situations where this might happen. I never go out with the thought I could meet someone as it protects me from the fact that noone will want me. It's really hard. I used to think about it daily, but I have distanced myself from it. I'm not as naive anymore as to think that I can do nothing and I will randomly meet someone walking down my road, so I know that I need to take more chances to make it happen. That is what I need to overcome in the next year...being braver and learning that rejection won't kill me, it will hurt, but I will move on one day. I just need to try. I miss being happy.

That I am not enough as I am, in my art specifically and in relationships. It has kept me from acts of love and strength that I am capable of. Fear of breaking beyond repair in relationships has kept me from going deeper and knowing the relationships to go deeper in. I plan to choose otherwise daily in little ways and bigger ways when they present themselves. Leaning on friends, not being afraid that I am a burden, but trusting them when they say that I am not. I want to fly.

I have always had the fear of (1) standing out / being embarassed; (2) not being loved / being abandoned. I made sure I was a wallflower my entire life, was afraid to stand out and be noticed, to try different things just in case I couldn't do them; having anybody new &/or a boss discover that they were wrong in being friends or in hiring me (altho this never happened) - I was always, always full of fear. I became a people pleaser, even when it didn't "feel good", discarding my own values / morals to be accepted. I also knocked myself out for my kids, thinking if I didn't do what they wanted, they would stop loving me. I was afraid to speak up & admit how I truly felt about issues & things. I guess it was the breast cancer, it made me realize my mortallity & if not "now", then "when" - its not like I'm getting any younger. I don't have to "right" all the time, in control all the time & I am looking forward to trying a few new things & experiences.I've learned to listen to the "me" inside, altho sometimes I disagree with her when she tells me I need to rest. I take time for myself, spend some time alone & enjoy it. If I'm not with Cam 24/4, I no longer think he's tired of me or doesn't love me any more. WHEW! Big relief.

I'm afraid that I'll live life without ever being confident that God has ever spoken to me. I always second-guess myself, thinking that certain thoughts are from my own intuition or from rational processing rather than being inspired or impressed upon me by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I think God just speaks to me through silence - but I hope it doesn't stay that way forever. I need to practice listening. Maybe God is trying to speak to me throughout the day, but I'm just not paying attention or am not really alert enough.

I want to travel. Am afraid to travel alone or with a group. Often when I travel I feel homesick. This homesickness has been my demon as long as I can remember. It has held me back too long. At 54 I do not want to live a limited life. I want to travel!!!

I am often really afraid of trying things or getting out of my comfort zone as I am terrified of failing at something new. Not just failing - but not doing an amazing job or excelling puts me off trying things. I have made it my goal to try and start a Photography degree at the beginning of the next academic year.

Insecurity in my art has limited me in the last year. I let too many teachers and too many students influence my vision and I end up dissatisfied with my work because it's not my work. I'm going to make what I want to make this year and make art that matters to me.

I'm not sure how to answer this one. I guess I have a fear of trusting my addict again because I don't want to be betrayed again, but you have to take a chance on others sometimes. I need to get over my resentments surrounding this issue, whether I choose to trust him again or not though.

I fear my Dad will die before I get the funds to fly back home to see him; trying to work extra shifts to pay for the flight but the currently economy doesn't make that easy

My fear is that I won't be able to let go of my capability to love someone fully. I love my family and friends, but when it comes to a special someone, I think I can't let go. After experiencing my parents divorce when I was ten, it makes me realize how much people can hurt one another. The fear I really have is that if I let go, will I be hurt? To overcome this within the next year, I've been praying for God to help me not be selfish with his love for me. The way this might work is that I will love everything I do, that God has done for me, and with and through me. With this process, I hope that God will use his love for me to show his love for everyone else. To be the christian that shows God's love for everyone and everything. To show what God's love can do. So that is what I pray for. I will be interesting to see what happens as a result of this within this next year :)

I have a fear of succeeding, of going too far. I want to set goals for myself and revel in my success.

I've always had a fear of failure, which manifests in everything from getting too scared to present or talk in public, to creating work that might be better but outside my comfort zone. I just need to scare myself more, fail more, fail often. Take more chances, damn whatever people might think. Now that I'm 40, I've also begun to be much more fearful of dying. I suppose the Jewish hypochondriac cliché runs in my family—not to mention the close friends that I've had die very young—but I'd like to let that go, aside from simply taking better care of myself. The more I stay occupied and inspired and in the moment, the less I think about this.

My principal fears are aspirational. Will I achieve the domestic/familial bliss that I so hope for? Likewise, will I achieve the professional art success that I long for? It's reasonable (and also healthy) to worry about only that which I can affect now. I need to take things day by day, and not become distracted or stressed by what-if scenarios. Still, easier said than done! This year, I need to make an earnest attempt to push myself professionally, and to work on any issues that crop up in my relationship. Still, despite the occasional anxiety, I have a generally positive outlook.

I don't have a fear.. Having fear is debilitating.. Live every moment to the fullest and enjoy life.

I have a fear of being rejected or hurt from and by relationships around me. This fear has crippled me socially. I am not able to let people in. It took me at least 10 years for me to get comfortable enough to tell my sister I love her, so it takes me much longer to get close to those outside my immediate family. By next year I would like to let this go. I am not sure how I can work on this but I will fight with all my might to get over it.

A long time ago I said I wasn't going to let fear rule me -- that I wouldn't give up a worthwhile risk, just to stay with what's safe and familiar. Since then I've learned a lot about what I really fear, and seen the ways I have let it control me. I've taken new risks, not because they were worthwhile, but because I was afraid that I wouldn't get the things I want with patience, hard work, and God's grace. Faith is the opposite of fear. This year I am going to try to nurture the faith and hope that I allowed to be overcome by self-serving fear. I want to reach out beyond myself and trust that whatever else I need will come to me eventually.

I don't know if I have a specific fear. I've been on a road to overcome some things like caring about what people think etc.. I've really let go recently and just been myself and it's an amazing thing. I think if I had to put a thumb on what my true fear is, it would be the fear of dying before I get to really live life. That's why I've really been trying to slow down, relax and enjoy the beautiful days and opportunities that come my way.

I'm afraid of my mother dying. This fear and my overwhelming love for her keeps me close to home even when there are some things I need to be away from home to do. It doesn't seem unhealthy because it's not truly limiting me so I don't plan to do anything about it.

Letting someone really know how scared I am in this great big world... I'm working on it with my therapist...my intimacy issues and the choices I make to avoid intimacy

i fear i am losing my edge

The greatest fear I have is that I will run out of money. I plan to do something to earn some money this year...try to sell my book.

The one thing I am more afraid of than anything is the prospect of suffering a major physical injury, which would most likely come in the form of being hit by a car. I think this is in part due to the chest surgeries I went through- they made me really appreciate the fragility of the human body and the far-reaching consequences of damaging it. As for limitations, there are a number of activities I will never do because of the danger- riding a motorcycle (or even a bike), skiing, rock climbing, any other kind of extreme sport. I am simply not willing to face the possibility of living with a lifetime of ("if only I hadn't...") regret. Ironically, I think this fear is grounded in reality and not the least bit irrational (ref: Superfreakonomics section about drunk-walking). All I can really do it be careful, as in mindful and alert, when walking through traffic, and take taxis home on late nights rather than walking. Put another way: "[I'm] too valuable to humanity to put yourself at risk."

I'm afraid of letting people down. I don't even know how I can begin to overcome this...

Hate to say it, but my fear is zombies. One wouldn't think that much of a problem, but when Halloween coming soon, my mind just ramps up the fear factor. This makes it hard for me to go out alone. I even try reasoning my fears away, but nothing works. Sadly, though, for the rest of the year, I love zombies. The only way I can get over this fear is to give up watching the movies and playing the games.

I'm afraid of not doing well this year. Everyone around me is stressing how important it is to get into a good college, then med school, then internship, etc. etc. I feel that my life has already been predetermined for me by teachers, my parents, and really just our modern day society. I bet I'll laugh when I read this next year but right now, I'm just stressing a whole lot about the SAT and PSAT and the AP classes I'm taking and school in general. My friends and I have all agreed that it seems we're always tired. I get up at 6:30, go to school, come back home after either bio lab, physics lab, dance, or babysitting. Then I get right to homework that I TRY to finish before 12 but really I sometimes procrastinate until it's too late. Afterwards it's sleep then school again and I'm still tired. I try to catch up on sleep on the weekends but then I feel unproductive and tired from oversleeping. AHH! I need some balance in my life. Maybe I'll take up yoga. lol. But that's actually not a bad idea...

Fear of paperwork, red tape, negotiation, messy transactions, lost documents, muddy decisions. If I wake up around 3 or 4 am, I dread the instant that I start thinking about the little picky things that I haven't done, like calling the pharmacy about a credit card problem, or writing a church report, or making phone calls asking people to volunteer for things. I'm not that disorganized; it's just that I seem to give an inordinate amount of time and energy to ruminating on these things, instead of just doing them. I've tried making daily lists with only 7-8 things on them. I've tried remembering how good the momentum feels once I start knocking these things down. Limited success.

I am fearful of losing my parents, I know you are never ready to lose them but I am only 31 and not ready for that. It makes me sad when I think about it. This fear could limit me because I may woory too much about it at times.

I'm sometimes scared to stand up for myself against adults, older kads, and teachers. I always think I'll get in trouble for standing up for myslef. I just need a little more confidence and to me less scared of any consequences I may face.

Not having enough money. Check into refinancing my home and affirm prosperity more.

Becoming a step mom! I'm so fearful I don't know how to let it go or overcoming it--I guess acceptance and day by day. And, remembering I love my fiance and my future step kids. And, I can ask for help when I need it. Yikes!

I am absolutely terrified of getting too close to other people, ceding control to them and potentially being humiliated or rejected. It prevents me from living my life fully and it needs to end. I'm not so naive as to think I can snap my fingers and make it go away, but I intend to push through the limits of my interactions with others a little more, and try and make deeper connections with them despite how afraid it makes me.

I'm afraid of being alone. It makes me over-emotional and I know it aggrivates my friends. I'm slowly getting over it, learning to just take a breath and get my frustrations out by writing or singing along to loud music. I delete things or put away pictures that aggrivate me then bring them back once I'm over it.

I fear lack of financial security. I fear not having enough to pay my bills or to be able to help my son through college. As of now I do, but the fear of not knowing what the financial future of this country is has me fearing. So my goal is to live day by day, month by month, and year by year without fear.

I'm afraid to not make anything good out of my life. Right now, I have no real expectations of what I'll be doing in a few years time.

Way too many things. I wish I could be more confident in my job. The stupid thing is, I've made it this far. The worst hasn't killed me yet.

I have a fear of asking for help or looking weak. I also do fear that people , specifically men, will not like me. I am fearful of opening up and letting people see my weakness. It leads into not asking questions because I might appear to be stupid or weak and I am neither of those things. I plan on overcoming these fears day by day and remembering I am a powerful triumphant child of God. I do not have to look for approval from men on this earth, I only have to seek approval from God. And the ironica thing is I have God's approval 24/7/365. How beautiful is that.

What if you find out, without a shadow of a doubt, that you really and truly are the full creator, attractor and allower of your life... that it really is ALL of your own, personally authored story? There is no one else, no blame, no doubt and no penalty. It was all you and 100% your choice. Think about how that would free you. What would happen? What would you become? I think that I have both loved and feared this thought all of my life as it has always been easier to blame (mostly myself) than to claim this and see that result. I would like to do this, without dying, when I believe it is all fully understood.

I have a fear of failure. It prevents me from starting things. I don't try because I don't want to fail, or, when I do try, I don't tell anyone, thus depriving myself of support and encouragement, because I am afraid people will judge me if I fail. I call myself lazy when I don't work toward my goals, but, really, I am just afraid. I have the perfect opportunity this year both to work hard at my goals and to surround myself with like-minded, encouraging people.

Fear of failure/rejection. Growing up in a home where failure to meet others (often selfish) expectations was punished by rejection has led to a pattern of failing to try new things, take risks, explore opportunities or start new ventures without the explicit approval of those around me and the certainty that I can succeed. This year, rather than waiting on others to determine my goals, I will work to launch a new project and explore at least one new avenue just because I feel it is worthwhile. I will not let those successes or failures keep me from future explorations either. I'll work to learn and grow from both my successes and my failures B'ezrat Hashem.

I have a fear of committing to relationships and committing to the future. This is limiting me because it is limiting development of my relationships, making them "of the moment" and stagnant. Obviously the way to overcome it is to start committing to things! ie commit to existing relationships - but I also have a fear of what the future may hold. I prefer to be in a place where I don't know where I'll be in a year or 5 years' time, I just hope and pray that it's in a better place than I am now.

Fear of various old age diseases -- I work in a nursing home so I get to see this up close; I am terrified of being afflicted with Parkinsons', or a stroke, or Alzheimers' disease. It seems that one either loses one's physical functioning or mental clarity or both. What I've done so far (I've been working in this environment since 2003) is to be sure to exercise as often as I can, to enjoy life to the fullest while I can, and to try to eat more healthily. But really, nothing I do (other than "letting it go") is going to make any difference; whatever fate has in store for me is what I'll have to deal with later on.

My fears don't limit me as they involve things that are not part of my everyday life. I'm afraid of being seen naked by anyone but my wife, afraid of being alone, afriad of losing my wife and child. I don't behave in any way to realize my fears.

I fear that my youngest two kids (20,22) are not going down a good path, neither are in school, neither have jobs. One crashed a vehicle, the other has been in jail 2xs and both are just scraping by. I love them so much, they are good looking, intelligent kids who were raised in a home their dad and I built in the country with lots of love, even though their dad and I separated when they were 3 and 5. I will always regret that. I plan to overcome this by trusting that they will get tired of scrambling, prayer, remember what I was like at that age . . .

That I will lose everything. That I will never be happy again. But, life goes on. Life is a cycle, times are bad, then they are good. Just need to wait it out and not do something foolish.

I would always describe myself as a completley fearless person. Tough, strong. I don't have any phobias, not scared of pain, of the dark, of heights, certainly not of death. However, I think I have recently had a fear realised; fear of rejection/not being accepted. Ive realised that I really do care what people think of me. That almost definitely stems from being in a wheelchair, in other words being different in this conformist society. These are the insecurities I have when I'm out, this is the only fear that limits me in any way. And it shouldn't. But I would rather have 50 operations than to go out by myself and have people stare at me and look and glare and me and laugh and jeer and say things to each other. I hate worrying about what people think of me, and I HATE thinking that I'm different. Because I'm not, am I? I'm exactly the same as any average teenage girl, I just happen to be sitting down. I need to get over it, because I need to accept that there will always be people in the world who judge me, or think of me as weird, or a freak. But I need to get over it, and I will.

ha this such an appropriate question. i have just been out with my friends of 7+ years and said goodbye ready to go to uni and they are SO amazing i have been crying for an hour. my fear is not finding people like them, and i don't want to replace them in any way, i just want them! i have to make new friends but i have gained newer trust issues now, so my fear is being without friends as they keep me going no matter what. overcoming it? i don't have a plan i just have to because thats how life is. i'm crying again, and have been for about an hour. p.s alcohol is beginning to affect my typinc abilities. i feel so sad, it hurts.

I am afraid of driving on the interstate in unfamiliar places. I'm afraid I will make a wrong turn or that I will merge into another car or that I won't understand the road instructions correctly. I would love to visit my sister across the state, but I am too afraid to drive there by myself. I don't know how to overcome this fear.

I fear looking stupid. I therefore frequently look stupid trying to cover my inexperiance or limitations. First, I need to learn to let myself be human, forgive myself for my short commings then I need to allow proper prep time. After that I need to laugh and take it easy. I think I will seek situationith people who know how to laugh and accept their one limitations.

I am afraid of opening myself up and truly trying to find a partner. Most of the time it doesn't bother me, but sometimes I think, jeez, I'm almost 38 and I don't even date. I don't know if it will be a priority in the next year (I have so many others) but it something I need to consider.

I have a fear of embarrassment. Not being embarrassed in front of people I know, but those that I don't know. I've always felt very self-conscious of my physical appearance, and so compensated by being funny and having a humourous personality, and it seems that if people just see my outer appearance drawing attention to myself in some way that they will be judging me. I know that they should be the ones that don't matter, and this has sometimes limited me to staying inside my shell in uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations, and doesn't allow me to show my personality for fear of others not responding well to me. I hope that this coming year, I'm going to eat healthier, and work on my body issues and so this will increase confidence in myself and if I'm truly happy with who I am, then I won't be embarrassed at all, because in the end, my own approval is all that really matters. And I will keep telling myself that until I accept it.

I tend to fear that everything I do will not turn out perfect...and that people will judge me for it. It used to cause me to take on too many things - as in "At least if I do it, I know it will be done right". I attended a conference where the Rev. Meg Barnhouse spoke & sang...one of the songs was about Julian of Norwich & is called "All Will Be Well"... Slowly, I am coming to realize that not everything can be done by me & that if people make mistakes - if I make a mistake that it will all work out in the end. It has caused me not to obsess over editing errors, lessons and other things. It is still a work in progress though - so in the coming year, I will keep reminding myself that All Will Be Well, All will be well, all manner of things will be well.... do what I can and leave the rest to others.

when my brother was pronounced with a terminal lung cancer I live in fear waiting for that final strike. I was depressed and fearful waiting for the miracles I have prayed for to come true. I imagined if it was me how did I managed living with a fear that 99% I would be dead in a few months.I was like Zombie hating every else that was healthy and always with a question why it happened to my brother.I was with him on his death bed when it finally came I felt resigned.But the fear of death lingers on bye and bye I tried to understand what was the purpose of God created us. I find no answer until I come to an acceptance that we are mortal and death as apart of life and each individual has its own destiny and I felt fear no more.But curiousity persist and fear of the unknown come again. So I just shrugged it off because so many before me had faced it and all of them took it well at the end.........?!?!?

I have a horrible fear of automobiles. I have tried hypnosis, taken classes, prayed. I am a good driver, it does not matter who is driving or if I am even in the car. There is a Pema Chondron (sp) DVD I will be watching this Friday on fear and while writing this I just realized I can make it go away with EFT! If it works on PTSD it can help me through this!

i fear that another guy will break my heart like mitchel did. it has made me not allow my self to trust anyone, therefore its hard for me to make deep connections with people and that makes me feel lonely. try to open my heart even though it hurts because no matter what i know my girls will be there to catch me.

i'm afraid of being vulnerable and showing my weaknesses. i think that showing some weakness shows others that i am human and that everything doesn't come as easily to me as i like to let on. i think i will try to let down my guard a little bit with some people.

My main fear, that I am aware of, is a financial crash may come before I pay off the Pajero. My second is that I might die before I finish my book. I'm too busy trying to make money to pay off the Pajero, to spend time on my book.

What is a fear I have and how has it limited you. And how do you plan to overcome it.? A fear I have had this year is to voice my opinion to those in authority roles. I get really upset about things when I do not agree with it. A internal inflammation happens... and its getting harder to hold back... about what I am hearing and do not agree. It happened today and I was so upset with how I see kids being taught and than they do what there teachers do and the teachers get upset or call it a control things. Well the controlling person is the TEACHER. And the child in his own right is trying to get some control of SOMETHING. SInce the teacher TOOK control over something that is not theres to control over the child. THE CHILD Is responding appropriately to what the teacher is teaching in the nonverbal language. IT MAKES Me so mad and I do not know how to go about and explain it to the teacher without making her feel at faught. I feel stuck in the situation. Where I feel I have a better awareness on what is happening to the child than the professional. I do not know how to go about at least expressing how I feel or what stops me from saying it as casual as everyone else I see, who says things about what they like or do not like or agree or do not agree. THey say it and leave it at that. BUT i feel Like I am going to explode on the person, how can I defuse a bit before coming to that point. ANd the idea is to get the child the best nurturing possible so the child can respond naturally to the situation. Things I can do: Talk to another professional who I admire and respect because of there way of treating kids on the topic where I can be open about how I view things and allow them to give me feedback on what they may do in that situation. Look up pychology information on what I am seeing being done so I have some sources to support my feelings. GIve myself a chance and say it; expose my faces of agreement or disagreement. Be more transparent about what I think and feel is right. IT JUST MY OPINION.!!!!!! Be more transparent in general to whom I play and work with that will allow me to first match my feelings with my body and naturally my voice will speak.

I have a fear of having to deal with a catastrophic health crisis - my own, my to-be-born baby's, my husband's, my mom's, my sister's...I can be obsessive about it. I am hoping that having a baby will help this fear because if I've learned one thing during this pregnancy it's that, "what will be will be." I am not in control and acting as if worrying about things will somehow change the outcome is kind of ridiculous. And it doesn't actually work (I've learned!) so...I'm hoping I learn to get on with it this next year.

Fear of rejection. Probably the lifelong chain around my neck. I fear that I'm never going to be good enough and that no one will ever want me and I turn it into a self fulfilling prophecy either by not trying in the first place or by sabotaging relationships and rejecting before they can reject me. I've been working on recognizing what it is before it hurts me and will continue to in the next year.

My greatest immediate fear is that I won't be able to amply provide for my family. It has held me back from moving to a new place--a place that is better for my family's health and well-being. I plan to let it go by reminding myself that I've been OK up to now and all I can do is trust deeply that all will continue to be OK. We must leap sometimes to follow our heart.

Fear of making the wrong decision. Fear of not being on the right path. Fear of never being able to let go of this anxiety. I plan to just push through - know that yes, it might be the wrong decision but only I can decide and I have to trust myself. I plan to meditate - and go with the flow.

My biggest fear is that I will never succeed at my career. That I will always be struggling financially, and I will spend most of my time being unemployed. That when I do work, it will go unnoticed and I will never get the career momentum that I dream of and have worked so hard for. That I will have to give up on my career dreams because I cannot afford to live anymore and I will be stuck at an old age, with no skills and no resume. I will have to take a job at Macy's or CVS or something just to get by. The worst part of that fear would be the mind fuck part. Were all those people just lying to me all those years? ARGH!! I'm sweating just thinking about it. I'm also really scared of being brutally murdered. Just thought I'd throw that in for good measure.

I have a fear that reactionary forces will take over the government and issues like poverty and the environment will be ignored until it is too late. I plan on being somewhat politically active and to continue to work for environmental issues and to do what I can do within my powers to combat indifference and selfishness that I see around me. I also worry about Israel and if there will ever be more peace with the Palestineans.

i'm fearful of being alone. i've always been so upset when i'm put in a situation where i would have to be alone, like going to a new school or getting ditched at a concert that i just stopped doing things. this year i'm pushing myself to go to places alone, to have fun and enjoy life even if i'm not always sharing it with someone.

I don't know if it's a "fear" but I think I'm bipolar. I get very happy then very sad. This has been happening more than often and it really bothers me. I'm afraid to tell my mom, so I think I'll ask my doctor next time I see him/her.

choking; it's limited me in that I refrain from wearing necklaces. I plan on trying to wear necklaces.

2 main fears that really limit me. the first one I have had my whole life - the fear of missing out. I want to do everything with everyone and it make choosing very difficult, not sure I will overcome that in the next year, but the process has definitely been refining me over the last 10-15 years of my adult life. The second is that I have a fear have having to spend time cleaning-up. After having a toddler living with me, and a surfer husband, I am learning to let go of having a clean house - but still wondering why it was ever so important to me in the first place. Slowly I let go, slowly I let me daughter explore messier activities, slowly I learn to be a child again myself.

I fear being so afraid to really love myself, therefore being open to a real, honest loving relationship, that I will die lonely & alone. I need to feel the fear & do it anyway? Love like crazy & know that loved shared is love at it's best & greatest!!

I fear that my wife will cheat on me. It's old baggage leftover from living through my own parent's indiscretions and divorces. I've no reason or basis in reality for the fear, but sometimes it just pops up. I've been actively working on letting it go and recognizing that it's something in me and not real. Sometimes I have to voice it and ask my wife for reassurance. Mostly I've learned to just let it go. It doesn't rule me as it once did and it doesn't limit me in my relationship the way it did in my past relationship. In the coming year I want to remember this and keep this particular demon at bay where it belongs.

I had a fear of driving on Freeways.Since my car spun at high speed on a Freeway.A few years ago. This week i had to drive on the Freeway to a Hospital. There was no choice it was an Family Emergancy. I did it! Then drove home.I now have regained my confidence ,and will use the Feeways again; Much quicker than a normal road. A 72,i feel quite confident..It is good to have Faced and Overcome that fear;WHY? BECAUSE I HAD TO.

I have a fear of failure. I want to do things perfectly on my own and have a hard time asking for help. I have a hard time letting go of control over certain areas of my life. I am getting better with this, but it is a continual process, and hopefully this year I can release this responsibility I hold myself too.

I fear not being able to succeed in college. School really stresses me out and since i am getting no help from my parents I have to get many many scholarships. Im really not ready to grow up and leave yet but I pray that it will all work out!

I have a intense fear of getting to close to certain people.I just plan to be more open and trusting.Also,im afraid of failing.Almost all the time,i think the next thing im going to do,i will fail at horribly

I have fears. Of what will happen to the earth. Of my physical limitations. Of the well-being of my children. I don't know how I can overcome this.

I don't allow fear into my life. I have learned to live in the moment & there is no fear in the now!

that i'm not good enough. my goals have no place for my being a perfectionist. it's been holding me back for years, i'm not perfect i need to grasp that and try to do the best i can and be happy with it. i plan on diving into a new career, pimples and all...

I have a fear of failure. It drives me to be a workaholic and to excell at everything I do. It limits my ability to relax and enjoy things. I am always being my own worst critiic and am never satisfied with my accomplishments. I am trying to just accecpt that I am not "superman" and that sometimes god is good enough.

Fear of showing my emotions or letting someone in. It has limited me in a lack of anyone to talk to when I'm not drunk and a lack of some possible connections. I don't know if I'll ever be able to overcome it.

I fear not making changes that I feel I need to make --- for reasons that are deep seated. I always want to move ahead, and sometimes I hold back for reasons not always clear to me.

I really have a fear of success, of putting out my passion, and my true self out there. I get closer and closer to it everyday. I also have a hard time warding off naysayers, ideas of the economy, and seeing the shadow always ahead of the possibility. But I truly believe that I can make the future work- show my work and receive recognition and compensation for what I do, while living the life of my dreams and making it all come together in a great way.

I fear declining health and loss of function, both in myself and my husband. All we can do is try to take good care of ourselves and prepare as best we can for an uncertain future.

My greatest fear is failure. This is mainly failure related to work and success but it can be failure in a larger sense -the failure of a relationship, of any kind of effort really. The problem is my fear is so crippling sometimes that I don't try. I can't bring myself to.... in other cases, it makes me so painfully anxious that I simply can't do as well as I would otherwise have. It also stops me from being able to celebrate my achievements because they never seem good enough. I'm always measuring myself by someone else's standard. This year... I find my confidence again and take risks. To fail is only to learn something new.

Failure of being poor I think. I was able to relax only briefly after quitting my job and am now back into it. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, and it's a concept I know, but have a hard time rectifying.

As I get older I forget names of people and places, my fear is of senile dementia or Alzheimer's

I have a fear of loss, of being abandoned and being alone. I am so scared of loss that it is difficult for me to love fully, instead I cling on so tight and lose myself my true being and desires. I would like to loosen that knot a bit, let go by investing more deeply in myself, trusting more, allowing my life and my heart to unfold.

I have a fear of my own homosexuality. It has limited me in that I'm not out - especially not to my family - and I have chosen celibacy rather than look for a partner. I do not feel that I'm currently in a place where I CAN overcome this fear.

i am afraid of telling my parents what i am really doing sometimes. i end up lying and they end up catching me, which in return will ruin the trust they had for me and i will be punished by not being able to go out. i plan to tell the truth to my parents no matter what! i need to tell the truth other wise i will go nowhere in life. as well i will never gain the trust that i want/need to have with my parents.

i have a fear of disappointing people. I get talked into doing things and spending time I would rather use for other pursuits. I haven't decided on a strategy, but I need one.

I am 59. I am afraid that I will lose my job and not be able to get another. Or get one that pays minimum wage and I'll be unable to afford health insurance. I will just have to have faith in myself that I can persevere, come what may. But I'm not getting any younger!

Sometimes I have trouble just letting go - of my emotions and anxiety, of needing to be in control. Instead of always trying to please everyone else, I need to make time to please myself.

I have a fear of my loved ones dying. I am afraid that if/when they do, I will be totally alone.

Fear of failure. I have allowed it to limit me my whole life. I regret many things that I have left untried because of this fear. I am going to try and let it go this year by taking a dance class and auditioning for theater.

I have a lot of small fears. Gaining weight. Not being interesting enough/wasting my time. Never making it back to live in Africa the way I did in the Peace Corps. Letting people down at work. Thinking too much about work. Not spending my money wisely.

I fear not finding a fulfilling new job. I intend to intensify my search.

my biggest fear has always been fear of commitment. at 58, it is obviously a long-standing and ingrained fear. i spent the majority of my adult life as a single parent, a non-dating but doting single parent, my child being the focus of my life. no regrets there, at all. during those 18 single-parent years, i did have two very short affairs, primarily for the physical release and not for any emotional need. i have always been happy being a single woman. i recently began dating, and it was fine and fun and new for awhile, but i slowly backed away and ended the relationship. it wasn't someone who fulfilled me, it wasn't my life mate. i am a work in progress, and i suppose i always will be. i will continue to be honest with myself, honor my feelings, and be with the people i choose to allow into my life.

Sometimes it feels like I'm afraid to succeed and it stands in my way. I'm going to try to do my best at eating healthy AND losing some weight so that I can feel better physically and emotionally.

I have an overwhelming fear that my life will be taken away from me,or the most important people will get taken away. I pray every day for the health, happiness, and safety of my children and husband. I am paralyzed with this fear. I need them to breathe and I fight with these insecurities every minute of every day. I don’t know how to overcome the love I have for them and the desire to always be with them.

I'm an anxious person by nature so just about everything is a fear that limits me. Seriously though I'm afraid of being friendless. It has been hard for me to meet people here in Miami and form lasting bonds. I plan on focusing on my true friends (wherever they may be) and not forcing anything here.

Fear of speaking my mind and feeling vulnerable. Fear of failing at what I want to be good at. Speaking my mind - trying it out in small doses with more people. Fear of failing - trying something new and being persistent. Remembering what someone said; If it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly.

I fear love. It makes me feel things that are uncomfortable. I feel like this is odd for a seventeen year old girl. But I don't know what to do about it.

I'm afraid of being wrong. It's part of not being good enough. It has kept me from rising to my potential because I hold back, afraid I will be wrong. My hand was never held up first; then I was left with having to tell others that I was going to say 'that'. I'm going to write a book with information that I have learned that is not commonly known. I am going to put on paper what I believe and offer it out to the world.

I have been afraid to show how smart and powerful as I am. I've begun to let it show and want to continue. I no longer want to hold myself back.

I am afraid that I will quit my dream job. I'm afraid I'll give up. I'm afraid I'll decide it is just too hard and not worth it. I will have let a lot of people down and wasted their investment in me. Many people will think less of me. And if I quit, I'm afraid there will be nothing else in the world that I will be able to do that will pay me good money and that I will enjoy. And I'm too old. So I will become unemployed, lose my house, and end up a cold, dirty bag lady.

I have an intense fear of being alone or abandoned. It persistently lingers and can impact my decisions and behavior.

I want to get over my fear of public speaking more than anything. I can sing, act, dance, and perform on stage, but put me in front of a group and make me do a speech or something, and I cannot function. It's really debilitating, and I want to get over my fear once and for all.

I am afraid to make mistakes. I've always been afraid to fail at anything I do. I feel like I've got this pressure to succeed hanging over my head. I've kind a gotten used to being known as the one who doesn't make wrong decisions. This fear has kept me from enjoying life the I should be. I just turned 21 and I would like to lose this anxiety and become much more free. I plan to enjoy life to the fullest next year. Live life because life is short.

For 27 years now, I have not learned to drive. I am terrified of the car, being behind the wheel, and everything that driving entails. I would love to say that I will conquer it next year, and I will learn. But at the heart of it all, I don't want too. I am still afraid.

I fear not being secure. I let it keep me from being brave, trying new things, changing anything, giving up things that are secure even when they're not fun or fulfilling or good for me. This coming year I would like to become ok with not being financially secure, with figuring out the stuff that I need to do first and only then looking at what I'll need to do to make it happen.

im afraid of clowns, i cant go to carnivals or circuses. they are devils in disguise. i plan on keeping this fear all of my life hehe

I have a fear of losing all the people I love, because I don't think I'm worthy of them. It's limited me in that I'm insecure, and it's just generally unpleasant. I'm going to start by telling myself that I am worthy, and soon, hopefully, I'll have realized it. I'm terrified of confrontation. I always do it, and I get through it just fine, but every time, I'm literally shaking nervous for hours beforehand, and I usually cry once I'm alone after the event itself. It's limited me in that I've been unable to get out of certain situations, and I don't want that anymore. I'm going to take a stand, just by thinking of how much better things will be after I do. I also ironically have this fear of night terrors. Now that I know how they work, and that a ghost is NOT trying to possess me, I'm just going to keep that in mind when I do have night terrors, and soon it'll go away. :)

I have a fear of failure, which has caused me to avoid a lot of risks and necessary confrontation over the years. It almost kept me from accepting my first job in my profession. I plan on overcoming it by increasing my professional confidence. Professional development and completing my endorsement courses will erase my fear. With every day in the classroom, I will grow stronger.

I fear the I won't be able to feel like myself again. It's been 3 years since my health took a dive - it's on the mend, but I've had to be so preoccupied with it that I feel as though I have lost quite a bit of what makes me me. I don't want to blindly return to the past - but I'd like to know that I could.

I have lived with fear in my background for as long as I can remember. I don't know how this came about as I had loving parents and siblings. I have always felt I could never measure up. I am in my mid-50s, have overcome cancer surgeries multiple times, am in debt till I die and have a dog sanctuary. My fear now is what will happen to my dogs should I not be able to cont. to care for them? I don't fear so much for myself - aside from the latent, constant fear below the surface. I can survive - I have friends and siblings who have offered me their homes. But my dogs....they I need to leave to God. I also need to leave my sometimes paralyzing fear to Her as well, since I know it holds me back from realizing some dreams.

My biggest fear is repeating the mistakes of my parents with my own children. I combat this fear everyday by making sure I recognize the difference between the urge to something rash and the decision to do something productive. I can never let this go because the moment I think I am above it I can fall back in. I will make my life different from my parents and grandparents because I choose I better life for myself and my children.

The fear of being imperfect. I say that I understand but deep down, I still struggle every time I am not perfect. I am really going to try to be easier on myself. I am going to try and let things go. I can hope.

I have a fear of failure. Which of course could be a good thing in pushing me....but it tends to be a bad thing because I over stress about everything. I really would like to come to terms that even if I fail I am not a failure.

my fear is the unknown of the future. your whole life you are groomed for the next step in life, elementry school for middle school then high school then college but now what. half your life is set up for you and now you must fend for yourself. i hope i just man up and send out my resumes and do the very intimidating interviews and hopefully get a job out of it and not make a fool of myself. i just need to take the plunge and conquer my fear of failure and at least try. my other fear is the death of my mother. she is all i have and i feel a constant need to check on her. i love her with all my might and couldn't and wouldn't want to live without her. she is everything to me. id be lost without her.

Fear of being unable to care for myself, also of dying in pain.

I always have a fear of losing a friend once I gain them. My trust issues are getting worse with each coming year because people absolutely fuck me over in every way at some point. I try to be anti social, but I find a lot more people I enjoy on the internet rather than real life. So I hope I can just try my best to let people in with moderation and do my best from there.

I don't have any big fears--honestly. I trust in God, in kindness and just believe that no matter what happens, somehow I will survive and thrive.

I have anxiety when disagreeing with authoritative people at work.

I have become fearful about getting sick. Cancer, heart disease, stroke...all the "normal" things that come with aging in our society. I simply must let it go. Continued therapy, positive thinking, envisioning and celebrating my creative spirit will help.

I am scared of failure, to the point that I haven't made certain changes in my life because of failure, because of the unknown. I plan on gaining the confidence I need to move on in certain areas. I need to not worry about the consequences that are out of my control and see what the world can possibly offer me.

My biggest fear is money. Can I do what I really want to do, even if it means going without it for a while? I had none for the longest time, now I have a lot, and I've worked very, very hard for it. So, am I willing to give it up to live a more authentic life, one that will make me feel more happy and alive? I think so--and on that note, I'm preparing myself to leave my job in the next three months. In the meantime, I plan on paying attention to what I spend and figuring out ways to have the balanced life I want, without money being the main impetus for the choices I make now and in the future.

I worry about my children and grandchildren being harmed, made fun of, picked on, taken advantage of etc., etc. As I have gotten older, I can logically understand I do not have any control over the above, once I have attempted to 'arm' them to meet the world. But, I am so in awe of there compassion, love, honesty and developing ethical lives, I don't want them to grow hard and uncaring simply to protect themselves from that part of the world and the people who are so non-human. The logical side of me sleeps at night, the emotional side of me tosses and turns. The limitations are simply my rehashing the worry when I could be pursuing today. Overcoming it is based on my growing confidence in them as adults.

I have this really irrational fear of talking on telephones. I know it sounds really silly, but I'm terrified to talking to anyone who isn't my mom or dad on the phone. I don't know why I fear it, but I do. I need to talk on the phone to business owners for my position in Student Council, and I need to get over my fear just by taking the steps to having a conversation with someone on the phone.

I'm fearful of relationships. I am afraid to risk putting myself out there. I don't want to be emotionally vulnerable to anyone. I want to change that. I plan to talk to more strangers, tell people how I feel, and work on being more open with people about my feelings. I just want to participate more in society instead of lurking. That's how I feel right now. I'm sure I project that, too.

That I won't find love. But I am beginning to believe it will happen.

I have a great fear of ending up alone, which after a devastating breakup, I am currently. I am so scared I won't get married or have kids or have a home. It seems like everyone around me has all of those things and I don't. :( I'm trying to not let having those things define me and will continue to work on it.

I am fearful of getting close to a man in an intimate way. I would like to overcome this fear so that I can have a fulfilling relationship, and ultimately find a good life partner!

I'm afraid that the jealousy I have over my boyfriend's daughter and their relationship is going to destroy us eventually. I have no flippin clue how to get over this. I've always been jealous of others and I don't know how to overcome these feelings.

I don't think I'm afraid of much of anything any more. I lived a life of fear from a small child until I was about 50 years of age. I finally went and got help from a psychologist and am now able to "feel the fear and do it anyway" knowing that fear is just a feeling, not a reality. It can only control us if we allow it to. I like being in charge of my life and hope I never allow my life to be fear driven again.

i have a fear of death. i stress out even when there is a strong gust of wind, or a loud bang. during the night time, i am absolutely terrified. i really hope i can over come this fear. i know death is inevitable. i think it comes from the fact that i am not doing anything with my life right now. i really am anti social, i have no friends, no goals, no ambitions. i need to change this ASAP.

I'm terribly afraid that I'm missing out on something. Life, maybe. Love, definitely. Experiences, friendships, futures, opportunities, etc. I feel like there's always something else that I could be doing that would be so much better than the life I'm living. It's not that I'm unhappy, or even malcontent - I'm just afraid that there's something I don't know about that's prepared to change my life for the better, and I'm just completely missing out on it. I'm convinced that I have a soulmate out there, somewhere- and it kills to me think I may never find her. I'm afraid that my inherent ability to never stick with things is really going to screw me over one of these days - and that I'm never going to get good at the harmonica. I'm really not certain how to get over this, or even if I can - or want to. I've done a lot of things on the impulse of not missing out (no, not peer-pressure things - self-pressured things), so maybe it's good. It's hard not to think about sometimes, though.

Inadequacy. I'm always afraid I'm not enough. I'll just sit with it, stare at it and become so intimately acquainted with it that it loses its power. Simultaneously, I will also get on with my exciting life. 50 is the new 20.

I am afraid of 1. not losing weight and 2. losing weight. I'm worried that I'll always be overweight and I worry that if I lose weight I'll lose myself. It's a problem. I don't know how to let it go - and it's a double edged sword.

I fear losing control of my life and my ability to decide things for myself. It's stopped me from being sociable with certain people because they engage in activities I don't wish to be a part of. It makes me feel alienated from most of my peers and just when I thought I'd become comfortable being myself, my self-confidence has been broken. I don't know what in the hell to do about it honestly. I wish it could be easier to be accepted for your views but even the most "humble" of people scoff at some of the things I say.

failure. being ordinary - not having a respectable body of work after decades. missing out on love. that my lying will keep me in a haze.

Rejection and change. I am afraid that I will not suceed in anything and that stops me from trying a lot of new things. I am slowly venturing out of my comfort zone but is is hard. I just plan on keep on trucking and doing what I have been doing and venture out.

I am afraid that I am not "worth" the happiness that I seek. It has limited me by making me very doubtful and sometimes feeling "guilty" that I must "do something" to deserve this if I cannot recognize my part in it. I feel like i've held a very limited view of what I can achieve. I am afraid that.. ahh. and this is an old one... that I cannot be a "professional" if I do not have at least another degree. For the first fear, I want to allow myself to take in and enjoy the new blessings that are coming to me... and recognize how they are aligned with me, with who I am. In a practical sense, I want to keep my feet on the ground and allow my mind to use the tools it needs to recognize myself within these new blessings as finally something I have created for myself. I will trust myself and use the resources i have to stay in alignment with my truth. For the second, I want to complete two beautiful documentaries and build upon these with a sense of completion and satisfaction.

PHYSICAL ABILITY & LACK OF TIME. AS YEARS GO BY, I BECOME FRAIL AND BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF MY HEALTH, FOR I DO NOT WISH TO BE SICK, IF I COULD HELP IT. I AM BECOMING MORE AND MORE CONSCIOUS OF MY PHYSICAL ABILITY AND TRY TO CONSERVE ENERGY AND SAFEGUARD MY HEALTH. SINCE TIME AHEAD IS CERTAINLY LIMITED, I MAKE THE BEST USE OF WHAT IS LEFT, AND TRY AND CONSERVE AND MAKE IT MORE PURPOSEFUL.

I fear letting someone go for what might be a bad reason, but an important reason nonetheless. I care about him and I fear hurting him and I fear being alone. I fear that I am lying to everyone around me in my lack of action and because of this I can't truly connect to anyone. I feel stuck and I don't know if I can let him go in the next year. My instinct is to run back home and not be up front about it, but I know that the right thing would just to be strong and end it.

I seem to have lots of irrational fears these days that come and go. I don't even like to acknowledge them because it kind of gives them power... I supposed I have a fear of regretting in the future that I didn't muster the self-discipline to lose weight and get in better shape while i could. I hope I can do this.

i have a fear of making quick, rash decisions. i think in college, you have to start making those types of decisions if you want to succeed not only in school but in real life also. i am trying to fix / overcome it by standing up for what i want and not letting everyone else make the decision while i keep my mouth shut.

I fear that I'm not going to live up to the expectations of my family after this year. I'll be the first person in my family to graduate from college this spring, and everyone expects me to go on and do something amazing. I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to find a job and that I'll be forced to go back home.

Driving has been a crippling fear that has limited my choices of where to live and work, but I'm now working on reacquiring my license, so within the next year, I should be licensed again.

I fear that things just won't work out for me. I don't think it's really a fear that I can overcome.

Fear of being trapped. That my life now will be like this forever. That I lost my real path in life when I got stuck in this one. It makes me angry and resentful. It makes it very hard for me to enjoy the good in the present because I'm constantly thinking of where I went wrong to get stuck where I am now. Next year I am letting go of all that and following my dreams. Surprisingly it is those who I felt most trapped by that will be helping me to realize my dreams. Together we will let go of everything else and travel. With this decision I feel happier than I have in years. Freedom, without having to give up my marriage or child!

I'm scared of failing the people around me and disappointing them. I'm scared of not becoming a success and not making people proud. I'm scared I won't become self-suffcient. It's damaging to me because it's difficult for me when things go wrong, I very easily shut down and beat myself up. In the next year I want to prove, mostly to myself that I CAN be a successful, and that I will be okay. And a fear of being alone, but i can't change that.

I fear being a bad father. Not living up to both my expectations as a father as well as my daughters. As to how I will overcome it, I guess I'll just try my hardest to be the best dad I can.

I have this strange fear or insecurity that I am a bad friend, and that people around me don't actually like me. It's such a weird and unfounded belief - especially given the wonderful people I have in my life, and the instances in which I have proven my loyalty and love for them. But whether it is a resilient insecurity from my first few years of college or even high school, it lingers. I think that dedicating more of my time to my friendships and feeling like I am putting forth more effort will help assuage that feeling. But also just showing myself more love, and the proof. I have fantastic friends, and they obviously stick around for a reason...I just need to open my eyes a little wider to see that.

My fear has always been what people might think. It has always been my past. I'm not sure how I plan to let these fears go but I have high hopes that I will one day let this and many more things go.

After breaking up with my ex, I fear never meeting anyone again, and basically ending up bitter and alone like two of my mother's sisters. I fear not being able to trust anyone relationship-wise again. I will only overcome this if I start focusing on all the positive things in my life, and not think of this as an issue etc..

I have a fear of being alone, living in my old age alone and dying alone. This limits me from being fully alive and the fear gets in my way of loving just where I am. It's feels empty, isolating. I'm constantly letting go of this mind game that overcomes me when I've had a hard interaction or a bad day. I am alone and at the same time very interconnected to all. It comes and goes. I let it come....and then...let it go//again and again.

My biggest fear is the eventual state of unlivable condition of my home. I have said for many years that when I have to leave my home permanently, will be when I die. I do not know what to do, but have allowed myself to consider what design a new home might might be. I truly fear the future.

That what I write is not only of no interest to anyone else in the universe but is badly written as well. Ouch, that's hard. But it is a big fear. The more time I am given the more I want to take advantage of it though and writing seems to be one of the few things I can do as an outlet for my creative instincts. Maybe I should go back to dancing?

My childrens well being is my greatest concern. From education to happiness to health and self respect. I can only say that I do my best while never forgetting these fears and thoughts. I must be greatful for every morsal the moves me and my children toward greater safety and self worth. Thank you god.

I have no fears. I have hates, and resentments and regrets, but no fears.

A fear of failure or disappointing people. The fear to fail has kept me from daring, reaching out. I have barely grown in the past year in my work since I can't ask questions. Fear of disappointing people has kept me false or distant from people in other ways. I feel that I've made myself a prisoner of needing to be or at least appear perfect. Bit by bit I will practice making reasonable goals and remind myself that no one else is expecting me to be perfect. Whenever I hear the voice in my head saying, "Not yet, not good enough", I will ask, "How can a second or third opinion make it better?" or "What can I learn or offer if I share this now? " I will make more time to BE with family and friends.

I've always been afraid to let myself be truly vulnerable and love someone completely. I recently realized that if I want to have the love I desire, I have to let myself be vulnerable. It will make me stronger to let myself depend on someone who loves me back. And I won't lose any of my individuality (independence) by letting someone else be strong for me.

I'm often afraid that my husband and I will get divorced, and in the moments when I'm angriest at him, I'm afraid that I want to. I don't. But I understand in a way I didn't before how it is that so many people wind up divorced, and it scares me. I'd like to put it out of my mind as a possibility -- the stupid thought shouldn't even cross my mind, right? But then the Super Feminist in me then gets afraid that I'm bowing to social norms instead of looking out for numero uno... At the end of the day, I know I'm in a good marriage, and that I'm a better person because of it. I always come back to this truth. Perhaps this can be my inner mantra whenever we argue.

I have a fear of not being good enough. Good Enough to be a successful writer, an English Teacher, to have confidence in myself, to have someone fall in love with me, to have the opportunities missed because I fear do not have the abilities. I "intend" to try and do the things I want anyway, to look back in a year and see what have accomplished. See it as small accomplishments as opposed to none at all. For you would not have dreams, if they were not achievable. Dreams are the sub-concious brought to the forefront of the mind. If they were unachievable the sub-concious would never have thought of it in the first place....I think !

I guess if anything I'm afraid I'm not using my time wisely. I'm really overly concerned about things that shouldn't matter to me at my age, I'm on the verge of a new decade of my life, and being a teenager is essentially about being selfish and thinking about having fun. I feel consumed by the stupidest thoughts, for my future, for my past, anything that doesn't relate to the present. I want to remember my time now, while I can make memories and while I can live a life truly carefree. If anything I can take life one day at a time, work at school like I do, but also remember to have fun and plan to do great things that I'll remember. I don't want to regret anything when I'm older, or live the way so many adults in my life have succumbed to.

I fear I am not as smart as others and find myself settling for work situations that are comfortable instead of challenging. I hope to challenge some of my comfort zones with this coming year in my job hunt.

Fear of not being the success I dream that I could (should) be. This causes me sometimes not to have the 'energy' to work, to try. I plan on getting to the roots of it, and exploring all the approaches I can think of; and also, continuously pushing ahead as well as I can, taking small steps. I've just written my Two-hour Rule: do one small thing towards my chief goal every 2 hours of awake time, 6 days a week.

That I won't get anywhere in the world because I'm disabled. My mind is fine and dreams big but my body has trouble keeping up with it. I found out the hard way that doing the job that I am about to major in this Spring is something I am not physically capable of doing, as I once thought. So I'm going to develop my writing and prove that there is a job out there for me that won't cause me more pain. I'm scared of writing though, because I worry about my ability to compete. But I'm just going to spend this time before I graduate writing as much as I can publicly to try and calm those fears.

It's not really a fear but it's something bad. I really dislike walking through crowds of people I know. Or being in the presence of lots of people when I know they will be looking at me. I just hate it when people look at me, it makes me feel self conscious and then I just think about all the things that are wrong with my appearance or all the bad things they're thinking about me as I go past. It has stopped me from having fun and letting go at social events and I even avoid going out with people for the same reason as well. It's really annoying because I don't really care what people think of me, I just don't like being looked at or talked about. I don't know how I will overcome this. Maybe I can find a nice person to be in a relationship with who will improve my confidence and make me feel good about myself. I just have to try and overcome it by reasoning with myself I guess but it's hard and it's something I've been battling with for quite a long time.

fear of loss of love/approval. I don't do anything that I'm not fairly sure I will succeed at...so I don't try many new things. I have been reading spiritual books, and meditating. As I am more rooted in my Inner Self, the outer "scary" circumstances don't stop me as much.

I have a fear of people that intimidate me for some reason. I wish I could let go of that and be more myself and less insecure. I wish I had no fear of failure.

I am scared of doing something that will earn me less even though I know I will be happier. In the next year I am going to move careers to give it a go and see what happens.

I have a fear of cooking. I feel limited in my abilities. I want to take a basic cooking class and learn tips and tricks on easy recipes to cook in very short time periods.

i have a fear that i am sick---i hate that i have that fear, but i do, as a result of having dealt with some health issues this past year that weren't completely diagnosed in finite terms. So, i find myself dealing with some residual anxiety whenever i feel something is slightly wrong with me. i'm trying to adjust my frame of my mind whenever that anxiety creeps in---i have no desire to cure it with any medication (the anxiety)---just to try to work on using my head and heart to guide me away from fear and into calm bravery.

I am afraid that I have been too harsh with my daughter. I believe I frightened her away from math. It hasn't limited me, although I have lost a lot of sleep over it. Now that I am meditating and exercising more, I am more relaxed and sleep better, and I have also become more conscious and careful about what I say to my wife in the house, so that my daughter cannot overhear. I plan to be very encouraging to my daughter in every area of effort, schoolwork and otherwise, as well as kinder and gentler, though firm.

I have been afraid of two things: life getting too big and being alone forever. Letting go of the first one just means facing that fear in each moment, saying yes to offers, and taking the next indicated action at each step. I think I'm doing this to some degree now. In the next year I can simply do this more often until it becomes natural. The second one seems more challenging. I recently had a glimpse of letting this go. I spent a week where I was able to let go of the sense of desperation, and I was motivated to enjoy each moment, each interaction for what it was, not hoping for anything to come out of it. There is a key in this. Maybe I just have to fake it till I make it- recognize how lucky I am to have everything that I do have, and enjoy each moment for what it has to offer.

I think I've been really afraid of doing things alone. Of course this was most obvious when I was dating Di, but even since then I'm likely to decide not to do things I really want to do if I can't find a companion. And my therapist was completely right in pointing out that doing things alone is really the only way to meet people -- if you come with a date, you're well nigh unapproachable. I think it goes one step further than being afraid to do things alone... I think I might be afraid of letting myself be intentionally alone, of turning down plans and cutting myself off, even and especially when I really need to. It's a bizarre offshoot of the fear of doing things alone -- I push myself to go out so much, I don't stay in and recouperate when my body's telling me to. This shouldn't be a hard thing to correct. I just need to manage my calendar better and be aware of the signs in my body and behavior that indicate whether I really need to get out or stay in, be alone or seek out distraction. I think and hope I finally feel comfortable enough in the city to do that -- I have spots I can go to and a reasonable list of people to bother. It's just up to me to do it.

I am afraid that my life will be deemed insignificant. It has not really limited me, I guess. But I have expended much effort in striving to make my life mean something to someone. I honestly don't know how I can overcome that.

I believe that everything is unfolding perfectly and it is everything I want.

My fears are basically failure and being alone. In the comming year, I plan to put all of the rejections, all of my failures, and all of my regrets behind me so that I can see the opportunities that lie before me. I am going view the universe as providing exactly what I need, if not what I want. I will live in the moment so that there is no past and no future. Therefore nothing to regret. The experience of the moment alone will then become existence.

I have got the very fear of a war, like say India v/s Pakistan and V/s China. The reason behind that is though our Indian Govt. is fully ready to face the situation like war, even then, I am afraid that perhaps in situation like War and that too from these both the countries would definitely for India. Both the countries have got latest technologies and latest war-heads. If any adverse thing of misunderstanding if happened both these countries will attack on India and there would be a grave situation like dooming either countries. Whenever, this kind of thought arise in my mind, I fade and become gloomy and pray to God that there be happiness and prosperities remain for all the time for Indian People.

I guess I have an emotional fear of being alone. I used to really enjoy being by myself, but since I have had a boyfriend, the idea of being single is horrible. I hope over the next year I gain back some of my individuality... it will make me alot happier all round. Physically I am terrified of drowning... need to overcome this if I am going to learn how to surf.

Illness of My mother. It was the main limitative factor past year. If I had knew that she were strong again, I'd be able to make decisions very important, mainly about my sentimental state, very injured due to the collapse in my marriage (collapse that are coming from two or three years ago). It is very difficult to me keep on this situation, but depending on what kind of decisions I adopte, my mother could be worst. My prediction for the next year is that she will not fell better, and, nevertheless, the time is running and running, and muy catastrophic familiar situation keeps on in the same way and it will not have solution by itself. It is necessary to make decisions and about all of these decisions, I have the duty to explain to my sons, and moreover to this woman that calls to herself "my wife". I think my mother's evolution is inevitable, absolutely.

i am always afraid that people dont't like me. I want te be more confident about myself. I want to be able to make my own decisions without feeling the need to please other people.

Fear - hmm no fear as such, just a lack of focus/effort. Upcoming year - stop the auto-pilot mode, reset it to the new course and then maybe auto-pilot in a different way to reach that goal. The key is going to be to do things I like doing more and get back to the path of continuous learning.

i fear action. when sitting on the couch or starting the day, i fear the first action. not because i fear the effort itself, but because i am lazy lazy lazy. its soooo much easier in the short term to say "i'll get to it tomorrow or next week" and procrastinate and put off and stall and delay and make excuses. the better i can get at setting meaningful goals, the better i can discipline myself to take action, the less crippled i am by my lethargy.

I think I'm afraid of getting too much done, in case there's nothing left for me to do. This shines through in projects and in my teaching especially, when I hold my students back (delay moving on to the next activity) because I'm afraid we'll finish all the materials too fast. But there are always more materials. If there aren't, there are material-free ways to teach. There is nowhere to go but farther upwards and forwards- the world is SO FULL of things, resources, activities and progress to be made. There's no reason to be afraid to be an overachiever, or even just a muchly-achiever! These are the people who move up in life, while the way I've been behaving this year totally explains why I've felt stuck in a rut. I would like to go to life coaching to help me with this and other concerns, like finding a new job and possibly career area, and communicating effectively, making the most of rather than coping with my ADD. I had a pair of life coaches at home who gave me valuable strategies in our four or five sessions and would have helped immeasurably in the long term had I not left the country for postgrad at the end of the summer. I want to find another one here.

My fear to hurt me or, more so, someone else, by being intimate in any way. It's weird that it's even in my concern, because it takes a while before it even reach to that point where someone actually can get hurt. It means nothing for quite a while, but I seem to thing everything matters more than it does. It has limited me in that way that I don't let love come. I've shut it out of my life, unconsciously. I'm not sure how to overcome it. Maybe by not thinking about the future. Just the now. By just to be and feel. Not to think. I'm gonna try that.

This is a bit stupid, but I have a fear that I will never find someone, especially after the hurtful breakup of my previous relationship. I really thought that was it, that he was the one. Now, even though I'm still so young, I'm terrified I'll never find a man who will love me enough. I have big ideas about love and marriage and raising a family and although I'm well aware things take time and that not everything in life goes to plan, I still really, really want to find the right person for me who I will marry and want to live with forever with our children. I'm quite traditional in that sense. I know I will make a wonderful wife and mother one day and I'm really looking forward to that part of my life, I'm just so scared it will never happen. I guess it's limited me in a way that I'm always thinking...oh is this the guy, he's good looking and nice, is this the one?...and this is even with just someone I don't know very well or have just met. It's ridiculous. Am I that desperate? My fear of being alone has stopped me from being able to just relax and go with the flow. I know as time goes on I'll get over my ex and be able to come to terms with being single for a while, so in the coming year I just have to learn to not be constantly hoping to find someone. I'll just let things happen as they happen. I have to realise that my fate is out of my hands.

I have a fear of flying. Which is due to my fear of death. I don't know I'll ever overcome the latter. However, due to my career, I will need to fly. Maybe I need to fly more. This is a long term fear, not created out of 9/11.

I'm worried that I'll let time slip by wasted. I feel like sometimes I set goals for myself (things I want to do or accomplish in some period of time), then just allow those to go unfulfilled. I often come up with reasons and excuses as to why I didn't really 'need' to accomplish the goal, but really I was just lazy. This year I can't afford to do that. I need to have a job lined up by this time next year or I'll be floundering.

I seem to have developed a social fear, which is very connected with whatever role I'm in. I'm totally comfortable in front of crowds, can speak in public, and can associate with co-workers. But a lot of moments during the day, the roles aren't set as clear and I really want to break out of this.

I fear not being good enough. I guess everyone fears this. Sometimes I feel like I am faking it all. No one really knows that I don't know what I am talking about. I get really nervous before a group or a teaching gig. And then, usually, it goes great. And I remember that I do actually know how to do what I do. Sometimes though I don't feel it was so good, even though the participants think it was. I compare myself to the great teachers and educators I have known and I feel like I fall short. Letting go of the nerves before a group would be a good thing, but I also notice that I perform better when I am nervous. When I come straight off a great group into a second one, and I am filled with confidence I usually don't do so well - at least by my own measure. I guess the best way to deal with this is not to work on the fear, but to work on being better. Try harder. Procrastinate less. Study more, so I deserve the compliments I get. So I don't feel like I am faking, but that I actually do know that I know what I am talking about. Spending more time with those educators that teach and inspire me, such as Shlomit, Michael, Rachel K, Muki, Haim, Mini, Jonty etc would also help.

I have a significant fear of death. I'm 40 years old; my life is half over (if I am lucky). I am about 80 lbs. overweight. I don't exactly eat right, but I try. I've got to overcome this. It's not the years in your life; it's the life in your years. Unfortunately, having been unemployed for the last 15 months has really put a spike into my psyche. I'm a pretty smart, hard-working, creative guy. The fact that hasn't resonated with employers really gets me. I try to tell myself that this type of person simply isn't getting the jobs right now.

Fear of growing up, like being a little peter pan. I am also afraid that I am just not good enough

I go through phases of being terrified of dying. Just when I think I've conquered it, it resurfaces. And it's not the how or the when, although those concern me--it's the certainty that the time will come when I simply cease to be. I'm pretty sure this stems from anxieties about leaving unfinished business, so all I can try to do is to make progress every day. Whether that step forward is in my professional life or interpersonal relationships, my goal is to put my head on the pillow each night knowing I moved ahead.

I have a fear of getting older--not just myself getting older, but everyone around me. I wake up at night sometimes crying because I just can't conceive that we all will eventually start to weaken, slow down, and let go. That someday, everyone I know just won't exist. In the immediate future, I plan to seek both spiritually and psychological guidance to overcome this fear. In the far future, I guess I'll just have to deal with it as it comes.

I have many fears which consume my thoughts daily - fear of something terrible happening to one of my children. Like being in a car crash while they are riding in someone else's car. - fear of my husband dying suddenly and leaving us to try to figure out life without him. this fear is very real because he is overwhelmed by incredible stresses and I think it may be affecting his health and heart. - fear of not performing the best -in work, sports, etc. I fear i will disappoint people including myself. I plan to try to reduce my anxiety with meditation and try to take a calmer approach to life. I am always rushing around and think I am creating anxiety in my kids because of it. "Take Pause" is something I have to do more often.

I fear that I will not live to fullfill my dreams.

Fear of having necessary surgery and the recovery period. Like most fears or insecurities I have, I eventually just grit my teeth and do it

I fear that I will be exposed for not being as smart as I come off.

Well, I'm pretty sure that I have fears, but in accordance with all my other answers, I think the ultimate goal this year is to be better about articulating things like fears and desires. I should of course, be conscious of my fears. I guess recently some fears I have are never actually getting anywhere career-wise and never being able to have a "normal" domestic life. I guess these are things I fear. I feel like I've changed a lot in the last year and I guess that I can only hope to keep changing and growing in the year to come. How have my fears limited me? I'm not sure. I think probably what I do in situations where I feel unsatisfied or alone is just shut down and pretend like there isn't this whole interesting world out there that I can participate in at any time. I think that I just need to make practical plans and relearn how to experience joy. How does that happen exactly? I'm not sure but I think being conscious of it is as good a place as any to start.

I think this is the one thing that still carries over from last year (and many years before 10Q). I have a fear of not being liked, of disapproval. I don't think this fear is the root of the issue, but it definitely feeds into the cycle. I don't know how to create meaningful relationships with people. I spend time with people, and I can make them laugh, listen to them, become interested in them and their life, not dominate conversation by talking about myself all the time... do the things I'm supposed to do (at least, that's what I think I'm doing). And yet, these interactions never turn into friendships. People don't miss me when I'm not there. I went out of the country for 10 days last May, and aside from my husband, no one who I call a friend even knew I was gone. I don't add anything to people's lives. It makes me feel like I am on the outside looking in, looking at people who rely on each other, who call each other on the phone to vent or to catch up, who look forward to each other coming home when they're out of town. I know you only get what you give, and I've tried to put more energy into strengthening relationships with friends, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere. It makes me feel like a ghost. And I don't know how to fix that, or how to make peace with it. And then when I interact with people, my inability to connect is even greater, because I'm so concerned about wanting them to like me. I think to some extent the answer lies in not caring, like you find what you're looking for only when you stop looking for it. But I don't think that's totally it, because I know plenty of people have similar fears, but still manage to belong to some social network. What I really want to do is see a therapist, if only to have someone to talk to about it, because I know it's acceptable to whine to friends about bad dates or about a shitty boss, but it's not OK to whine about this kind of thing to friends. It would put them in such an awkward position. But I can't afford a therapist right now. So my hope for the coming year is to get my finances stabilized so that I can see a therapist.

I fear taking the risk of leaving the company I have worked at for 21 years. I have so much advantage and privilege and relationships with people who feel like family after all these years...especially when I was totally estranged from my "real family" for so many years. But it is time for me to move on and I know it. I know it.

I don't like confrontations. I don't like it when people use overblown rhetoric. But sometimes in order to avoid a confrontation with someone, I have not spoken up for what I believe. I would like to figure out ways that I can weigh in on important topics without having to engage in a rhetorical firefight.

Failure, not having my contract renewed, not being productive enough. Just pick up the phone/ send the email/ write the paper. Just jump!

I am afraid that I will become my mother in my parenting style with my children. My mother will say to me: "I didn't do that bad a job as a mother, you turned out pretty good." Yet I feel that I actually had to overcome her parenting in order to turn out as well as I did -- and that my sister hasn't quite made it yet. I don't want my children to have to "overcome" me. I don't want my children to dislike me to the point that I make them cringe, that they avoid me, that they dread spending time with me when they are adults. I am not sure how I will try to overcome this next year. I work hard to listen to my children, and I know that I need to "get a life" so that I am not wrapped up in my children in an unhealthy way and wind up smothering them. I think this will be a constant fear.

My biggest fear is that my children are stolen. It is such a real possibility and happens scaringly regularly in this country. I don't plan on letting it go or overcoming it, actually. It keeps me aware of where they are and what they are doing. At this stage, they're still young enough. I might have to revisit this statement at a later date though...

I have an immense fear of not being like and included. It holds me back in all aspects of my life. I feel the need to make myself what people want me to me and not who I really am. I want more than anything to get past that and find true happiness in myself. It think that it would start with a good group of core friends. So I need to work on finding those people that I can truly trust. I also have a fear of always living paycheck to paycheck. That has got to stop. We need to start putting money into savings and paying down all the debt we have and find security in what we have.

i have been so limited by my fear of letting others really see me, really know me...i have taken extraordinary steps this year to peel and crack the persona so that the truth of me may be embraced...what a blessing...what a gift....

I'm afraid I'm making major mistakes raising my youngest son. I'm afraid his father and I will never agree. I just keep waiting for some sign to tell what I should do and so often I feel paralyzed with fear.

I'm afraid of going back to work after 9 years of being home with my kids. Part of me wants to start focusing on a career, but I'm afraid of missing my quiet alone time during the day, or of not being available when my kids need me. My plan is to start slow with a 2-3 day a week job and get used to the hours in an easy, low-stress job.

Good question. I feel like I'm afraid to speak out, to express myself and my opinions. I'm concentrating so much on being polite and appropriate, that I don't speak out when I should. This is something that I really need to work on, especially professionally in the next year. My company trusts me and my opinion, that's why I have the position I do. And along with that, I know I can handle the outcome, whatever that might be. I need to express my opinions, give my thoughts, and just go for it.

Fear of trying to do something I want to do with my career. Fear of not helping to support my family. Fear of being qualified to do anything better. I don't really know how I am going to overcome it as I have been dealing with the same questions for many years now. I am going to try to continue to write, develop skills, make contacts, revise resume. I should probably go to a life coach, shrink or career consultant. maybe all three.

I have the fear that I won't be able lose the rest of the weight I want to lose. It's a great fear of mine that I hope to overcome by getting my not as fat as it used to be ass to the gym.

I used to have a fear for new things, doing new things. On one side, I liked it and was excited about meeting new people and doing new things. On the other side I was unsure about myself and wanted to stay in my room and at home, feel secure and safe. But after India and travelling more and for the most part living on my own in Amsterdam I learned that meeting new people and things is not scary and it actually made me feel more secure about myself.

The fear I have is about my resolutions which I can not keep. I am afraid of I deviate easily. I wish to overcome that fear with strong habbits and repetition of the decision

I have a fear of children and of feeling trapped. I'm working on both of these things through meditation, yoga and a decision to live life with an open heart. Before my fears were keeping me from living an open life - from living with joy. I was so afraid that if I hung out with kids that I would want kids and that having them would be awful that I completely closed myself off. Instead, living openly and honestly gives me much more peace in my life. I supose that gives me more peace in every facet of my life.

Over the past two years, I've been in a relationship that left me almost unable to trust other people. He lied to me, constantly, about everything. To cause further issues, he was a verbally abusive alcoholic and when drunk, he would say things he didn't remember saying the next day. This was very convenient because he could deny everything the next day and it would be my word against his. Due to this torture, it is really hard for me to take other people at their word, especially those I am closest too. I am working on creating new 'self-talk' that reassures me that the people in my life do not intend to hurt me. I also remind myself that they may lie, but I am strong enough to deal with it if it happens.

Success, actually. Success means moving out of the relationship that I am in, which I cannot financially afford to do. Success = failure = Success for me. I think I need to just keep hanging on; at least until my son is out of college and the only one I will be responsible for is myself.

My fear is that I will never find my significant other. I always come across people that are too intimidated, but I think a big part of that is that I have been searching desperately for someone. I know that I have to let go. It is something that is terrifying to do because for so long I have controlled this area of my life. I have alway dreamt about him and how I'm going to meet him, but I've come to the realization that I need to throw it away. I also fear that I will never overcome this character flaw of myself that no one knows about. I have struggled with it for over 10 years and I don't want it to be a part of me any longer. I believe that it is possible to overcome it. What really bothers me is that it's something hidden in my life and that it will continue to eat me alive. Thus, this year I plan to live in the grace and mercy of G-d, letting go, and giving it to Him; to ultimately be free.

My main fears are financial. We are just getting by with our mortgage payments and I fear that one major event would really make us struggle. How is this overcome? Working hard is really all I can do.

Actually, I'm afraid of everything anymore! I worry about my marriage, whether we can hold it together when so many others are breaking. I worry I'll never get out finances in order. I'm afraid of what other people think of me. I'm afraid to take risks, to make the wrong decision, to look stupid. But mostly? Mostly I'm afraid that I have lost the essential me, the wild, hot tempered, passionate, brave girl. The girl who didn't care about other's opinions, who did exactly as she pleased and delighted in life. The girl who created magic wherever she went. That girl sparkled and shone like a bright star, and I have sucked her into a black of hole of worry and fear and despair. I have lost my muchness. But, I will get it back. Some deep part of my soul has risen up and called out, and I will heed that call. No more being afraid.

I can't really think of a limiting fear that I have to be honest. I think I'm fairly open minded and try not to let anything limit me. In all honesty, I think sometimes I fail to think things through and only find I fear a situation when I am in it. I suppose an issue I have is with socialising with new people. Although, this isn't a fear, it is maybe something I avoid sometimes. I'm sure people must notice that sometimes I see them, but try to pretend I didn't. Maybe this is something I should avoid doing in the coming year.

I have a fear of letting go of my soon-to-be-ex-wife, although I know that our marriage is over. I still want to be her friend, even though I know she is the root of all my pain... I plan on seeking spiritual counseling, or maybe even professional counseling to overcome this fear and move on with my life...

Hurting my family...it prevented me from taking certain decisions and choosing certain paths for my life.

I have a fear of swimming. I CAN swim (to save my life), but I do fear drowning. It has limited me when white water rafting or just going to a swimming pool with friends because it LOOKS like a lot of fun. But when I get in the water, I practically hyperventilate. I tried swimming lessons, and can swim reasonably well. It's just not something I enjoy AT ALL, and can't think of a way to overcome it.

I am afraid of being my mother. I don't know how it limits me or even how to get over it. I guess one thing is that I am paralyzed by follow-through. I simply don't care that much about finishing things until I don't have enough time to finish them well, or to the highest of my abilities.

I have a fear of failing. This has defined much of what I do - it keeps me from trying new things, it keeps me from fully pursuing my photography. I don't want to fail. But how can I ever get better if I don't try and fail. I know this, I know this, but it still is incapacitating. I need to let go, I need to try new things. I need to know that I can make a mess of things and learn from it and move forward.

I fear getting close to others - I feel like they won't like the "real" me if I let it show. Growing up in a dysfunctional family with a mentally ill father I've always felt I had to hide things from others just to be accepted. I have a difficult time making friends, and I feel very lonely sometimes. If it weren't for my husband and child, I don't think I'd have any friends at all. Overcoming this fear is something I don't feel I have time for this year with my goals in college.

I fear for the emotional and physical health of my family. I fear for the spiritual health of my church and my responsibilities to it. I fear another year will go by and nothing will have changed.

I have a fear of being rejected and judged, which holds me back from being fully myself, striking my own path and opening up to others as much as I'd like. I plan to talk to more strangers, to approach more people I'm attracted to and express the way I feel, and to share what's going on for me with my friends.

Too much firefighting in business and private life. It gets in my way too much. Need to get focus and structure to create a solid path for the future.

I have a fear of being broke. Being that we (meaning my husband and I) have been disastrous at money management, this seems like and impending possibility. My plan is to take charge of money management as well, read about it, and get crazy cause I don't think I can add one more thing to my plate. So that's what I'm gonna do.

Fear of the unknown. I face so many physical challenges that sometimes i feel thwarted in completing my dreams or plans. I am not sure...except for meditating on a regular basis to help center myself.

I fear taking risks, losing control and being outside my comfort zone. This sometimes limits me with work and in relationships. I plan on being more open minded and letting go of things that may be holding me back.

I'm afraid of confrontation. I'm afraid of people being mad or disappointed because of me. I'm afraid of responsibility, of being where The Buck stops. My pie-in-the-sky dream is to own a coffee shop, so I need to overcome those fears if I want that to happen. The "how" is something I haven't figured out yet...

My greatest fear is that I will never overcome my eating disorder and that I will never be able to see myself in a positive light. It hindered me to live in peace with myself and to be satisfied with the work I do. It nearly destroyed my live. I always feel quilty if i give myself a treat and in the next year I will try to find a way out of this viscious circle. I will try to respect myself as a person who has the right to live-hard way though.

I have a lot of fears, one of which is that if I don't settle, I'll miss out on being established in an industry, in a city, with a family. I'm afraid that if i continue to jump around and pursue the "interesting" or the "special" I'll never realize that I'm already interesting and special, regardless of where I live. Obviously there are experiences I want in my life, and I want to pursue them, so that makes me special and interesting, but at the same time, I admire people that are settled, married...whatever they're boring. Keep doing you.

I am afraid that my parents are going to die because of their age. And I think that it might affect the fact that I am not dying to move away from home. But I do hope that in a year I have moved out and of course that my parents still are happy and healthy

I fear most for the well-being of my children and ask myself if we have prepared them for life after we have gone. I have great concerns for my youngest daughter who is a warm, compassionate person who at 27 possesses wonderful communication and people skills. I often wonder if she is touch enough to handle everything life throws at her. Our youngest son, on the other had has taken a while to find his path in life, but how seems to be on a education and career path that match is personal skills. I am hoping that in the next few year the behavior of both of these children will help dispel much of my fear.

I fear that I am so judgmental towards myself that I will never fully truly blossom into myself. I am so critical that I get frozen and stuck. In this pattern, I find myself living from a very tiny, tight place built with survival patterns that no longer serve or protect me. I want to become freer to chose and act and be me not who I or others think I'm supposed to be. I plan on releasing my fear by treating myself as gently and kindly as I treat my family, friends, even strangers. I may even go so far as to take care of myself in the same spirit I take care of our animals.... Now that would be a bold and beautiful!

A fear that I have is gaining weight and not looking beautiful, as a result. I have begun to let go of this year by acknowledging the reality of my food-related decisions (I do not gain weight as easily as I worry that I will), and by acknowledging that there are ways to achieve happiness with myself and within my life that do not regard my weight/appearance. I have come to realize that I should view myself as beautiful, and that the people who love me view me as beautiful no matter what. I plan on continuing to let go of my weight-related fears by pushing myself to "let loose" (I know that it's okay to "pig out" once in a while, but that I'm not the type who has to worry that it will become a regular occurrance) and by focusing my mind on other topics of import.

The fear I have is feeling confident expressing my ideas. I am getting better.

I'm afraid I won't be able to overcome the past, but am working on letting it go.

Fear of aging, it torments me. I look in the mirror and do not recognize the face I see. I will exercise more, tone and firm this body, get more sun, then after I've done what I can (cannot afford plastic surgery or expensive lotions)...I will decide I am proud of myself, especially for my age.

I've always feared how people perceive me. It dictates more of my choices in life than I'd like to admit. I plan on actively changing this through prayer and solitude, so I can learn to care more what God thinks about me than what other people think. This would overhaul my decision-making process in a big way.

I am so afraid of ending up alone- I want to learn to trust again and fall in love. I know I can do it- I just have to be willing to jump off the cliff and know that my wings will support me. Also, I have a fear of doctors and I really need to get over it so I can keep myself healthy.

I have always had an extreme fear of failure. I feel like I have already began overcoming it. I try to see life in the big picture and not let the little things get to me anymore. I'm also hella scared of 2012, but I guess we'll see how that goes pretty soon...

My fear is of "losing my spot" in my boyfriend's life. It is the silliest fear.I feel like a toddler throwing a tantrum because bedtime comes in the middle of a party. It is so lame. Honestly, I have panic attacks when he goes out drinking with the boys and comes back any later than he said, when he grabs coffee with a friend or when he won't tell me what they chatted about. I all but throw a fit when it's "boys' night" and one of them bring a girl over; especially one I despise (that odd mix between loathing, jealousy and a holier than thou attitude). It is not a fear of infidelity. It is a sincere fear of being forgotten or of my "cool girl" status being stolen. I have learned to combat it and am decently good at it. I have yet learned to cure it. Hopefully in 2011, I will conquer this silly fear.

I have a terrible fear of abandonment. I think if I feel stonger internally, I won't feel as threatened externally.

A fear is that I'm not good enough, not smart enough, that I'm just not as talented or capable as other people. But I'm realizing that there are other strengths than being the smartest one in the room.

I often fear actually having what I want most in life and having to go through a hard change to get to that new life. I want to look forward to everything in my life with excitement and anticipation so that I attract a positive and peaceful transition into the life I know that I want. It all comes down to being positive, thinking positiving and believing all really is good in the Universe and I can live the life of my dreams!

I'm so afraid of disappointing people that it restricts me horribly. I don't want to try anything unless I know that I'll do it really well. Perfectionism is crippling. I think that taking more risks and doing things that I really want to do for myself are good places to start. Therapy might be a good idea at some point.

I am afraid I am going to waste my life away by doing things that are pointless. I also have a fear of the unknown, though, and both of them together has made me afraid to accomplish things. This next year I want to be more spontaneous and get out and do more things more of the time.

I'm afraid my life has been too risk-free, too comfortable. At 66, I want to emulate my mom's old age -- she got braver as the years rolled on.

I am afraid of always being alone, never finding love, whether because I just can't find it or because I keep pushing it away. I hope to be able to let go of that fear, and trust that G-d has a plan for me, even if it means I won't actually find love in this lifetime.

I'm pretty sure I have a few fears and insecurities that likely manifest themselves in numerous ways throughout my daily life. I am sure it all springs from my childhood, but this could get quite Freudian and intense, so I will skip it and say I am sure I show negative signs of a low self-esteem, a want to be loved and shown affection, fear of failure and under-recognition, a fear of not doing something I love and am passionate about for the rest of my life. Not to mention, spiders.

It is the fear that I am not enough. That I have done something so terribly wrong innately found within all of my actions. That I am doing everything wrong. That I am illegitimate and that the things I have done have no real meaning or value. It limits me in putting myself forward with confidence and assurance, but also with doing things with utter clarity..... because in order to be clear I have to understand and promote my own value. I have to take a stand for my own value in every situation I engage with and for some reason I don't do that. I create confusion and then try to function at a high level within it. This has to stop. I have to have more faith in myself and belief in everything I have done. I do think meditating, writing, relaxing my mind into my life will help. I also think listening to the response of people to myself and my work.... if I just did that, I would know I had value on each project or proposal I put forward. I would know that clarity will not expose me, but free me and strengthen me... clarity is the word I need for this coming year.

I am afraid that I will get to the end of my life and not have achieved the things I wanted to achieve. I want to have felt strong love and loved. I want to give somehting beautiful and creative to the world. I don't know how I will overcome this fear.

Fear of letting myself be vulnerable in romantic relationships. I plan on practicing having an open heart and taking risks.

I have a fear of being discovered that I'm not the person that I appear to the world to be. I'd like to release that fear by not worrying what other people think and just continuing to be the person that I am.

I am fearful that I am not the person people think I am — that I am not as smart, talented, capable, and confident, but am just faking it. This plays itself out by both disbelieving others' compliments and not wanting to share things that might reveal that I am really not what I pretend to be. I plan to accept others' good opinions without qualifying them. I plan to be more open with others about my difficulties, and recognize that this makes me more, not less, human.

I realized this year that I really don't fear anything, at least not anything that I *shouldn't* fear. I fear death by drowning so I've stopped white water rafting, but I'm not a water person anyway. This is not a fear that limits me -- I still go scuba diving and would like to learn to sail -- it's just a fear that keeps me from taking the same level of risks I take when I'm rock climbing. (Death from climbing isn't something I fear much at all. It'd be so quick as to be almost painless, I'd get a big rush before I hit the ground, and anyway climbing is such an important part of my life that I don't think I'd really feel like I was living if I stopped doing it.) I do have a few worries I hope are cleared up at this time next year. I worry about having trouble conceiving a child. I worry that I won't get into the PhD program I'm applying to and that I won't find fulfillment in my job as a result. Alternatively, I worry that I *will* get into the PhD program but will find that the commute and salary change aren't viable in my life. The thing is though, I feel like whatever happens in my life, and whatever challenges I face, I'll just deal with them as they come and will find a way to work with and through them. I don't have any real fears because I have faith in myself and in the support system (my husband and friends) that I've built up over the last few years. Life will always have its stresses and challenges and I'm fine with that. They allow me to grow as a person and I enjoy the challenge. I don't feel overwhelmed by anything at the moment, nor do I see the potential for that in the future, so I guess I have trouble feeling any real fears.

I am afraid to let love in my life. I truly love a married man, but I stay safe in the relationship because I know it doesn't have to consume me and my energy completely. Still, I know this relationship isn't good for me, and is holding me back - yet I am afraid to actually let someone who is available into my life because I feel like I would have to give up a lot of control of my life,

I set the same goal last year, but I must set it again. The fear of speaking. I want to be able to teach and present as I move forward with my career and I must overcome this insecurity. It will not happen without extreme effort on my part. Fear is so crippling.

I am afraid of death. I don't feel I have taken good enough care of my body, and psyche. I am the age at which my father died. I have a younger cousin who is struggling with metastasized cancer. I plan to improve my exercise program and increase my involvement with my community.

~Trust. Gem and Becci hurt me for the first three years of senior school life, and for that, i'm scared to let people to far in in case they hurt me again. But, i've just started college, i'm not gonna be anal about it! I can make new friends, who don't know about my issues, so will treat me normally, and i'm gonna try not to be bitchy so i don't make them dislike me.

I fear too much that people will leave me. I fear that the man I want to marry will not stay in love with me forever. I fear that I will get old and be unhappy. I am really trying to not borrow problems that have not yet arised and I am also going to overcome it this year by just enjoying the present and faking it till i believe it...as my mom says, by pretending until it feels real even when its hard (about being positive)

I am afraid of being the only one awake. I don't know why. I just am. I like to know that others are awake while I sleep. In a weird way it's like knowing that someone is watching over me even if it is through the tv or radio.

My fear of poverty has limited me -- I've held back on writing my books because I didn't see how I could eat and live, and still write. And I had failed before at doing it in the past. But this year I am not bowing to fear.

I fear that no one really likes me and everyone I know is just using me for the time being and I am expendable.

I am afraid of taking God at His Word and trust Him enough to pursue my purpose and earn money doing something I love. I am planning to explore deeper those things that bring joy to my life and participate more in those. I am hoping that the Lord will guide me and help me grow in the necessary confidence and faith in Him. I pray to start aligning with my purpose even if just on part time basis.

I am scared of being my best successful self. I hate to even write that. I am working on combatting that by developing routines and procedures and sticking to them. I am dedicating myself to planning good things, being around successful people and asking them for advice. And to visualizing, down to the bones, what success means for me and then getting to it.

I feel like the fear that holds me back the most is the fear of failure. I don't like being wrong and I don't like not succeeding in plans. I think it often prevents me from going out and trying new things or putting myself out there. If I don't give myself room to be wrong, I won't have to deal with it. I also feel like I have a fear of letting people in. I've been hurt a lot by friends over the years, and I think that prevents me from letting myself just be myself and relax in front of people. I've been working on overcoming both of these for a while now, and I think the biggest thing is that I just need to learn to take more chances and risks and realize that there are just as many good things that could happen as there are bad things.

Fear of letting go. I know that letting something or another go is the absolute right choice, but I still don't want to. I want my pie, and to eat it too, but I can't and I don't know where to find a balance between letting go, or moving on.

Perhaps one of my most deep-rooted fears is that of not being loved. I worry that if I say something stupid in front of other mathematicians, they won't think highly of me. I worry that my my sister may push me away, so I succumb to or feel very badly about not succumbing to her demands. I fear that my students won't revere me so I perhaps don't push them enough. I fear conflict in my close relationships so I hold back. Perhaps the best way to overcome this fear is to look at myself with honesty and kindness, just as I try to do with everyone else. I'm not perfect, but I'm caring, intelligent, thoughtful, and certainly lovable. If I'm not loved by everyone the way that I want to be, this may not be a reflection on me. And I have always been able to find people who care for me, even if those aren't the people I expected.

My fear has always been the inability to let go completely of social approval.It has hampered my creativity to some extent. I plan to let go of it completely so I can playfully create with sheer abandon

A fear I have is not living life to its fullest potential and creating a past that is filled with more regrets and missed opportunities. I plan on overcoming that fear by realizing that a certain amount of regret is probably natural and a symptom of engaging with life and others in a real way. Living an insulated life in a bubble would minimize the quantity of regrets, but that would incur the biggest regret possible - the regret caused by doing nothing at all. Thus, I just need to keep my head held high and keep trying to live life to the fullest.

I worry about not having enough money to live on when I retire, although right now I am doing fine financially. There were a few years when money was really tight, and I haven't quite gotten over that. I also worry that when I can't live independently any more, I won't have the support I need to take care of me. I don't have a partner. However, I do have wonderful friends and I have a son, who hopefully by that time will be more aware and more able to take on a share of that kind of responsibility. I also know there are people who will look out for me no matter what, one of them being my cousin Ellen. I worry about Morris. I worry some about his marijuana smoking and his drinking, and I worry that he won't get it together to finish up and graduate from SFSU. I don't think that's actually very likely, but it is something I worry about. The overarching worry I have about Morris is his predilection for liking to do things and live somewhat "on the edge". It's scary to me.

I fear seeing my sister and myself getting old and having life pass us by, while we care for an elderly parent. But, at the same time, I fear what life will be like once he's gone. There is no overcoming this one. We'll just deal with it all as it happens.

I fear that my parenting will screw up my kids. I fear that my son's perfectionsim and issues at school are my fault. I hope to just be there for my kids, have lots of fun with them, and learn to not sweat the small stuff so I can teach by example.

I fear loneliness. I fear people not liking me. I forget what I actually want, or I hold back from saying things because I'm so busy trying to make sure everyone else is happy. I'd like to not worry so much about that. It's okay to piss people off sometimes.

I have a fear of rejection when it comes to relationships. It takes me a long time to open up to people and be truly myself. I want to work harder on allowing people into my life and letting them get to know the true me.

I fear publishing my book and getting slammed for my work publicly by strangers. But, if you're going to make it in publishing you have to have a thick skin, so I'll have to just grin and bear it.

I think I'm afraid of my lack of creativity. I'm just not creative in a fine-arts way, and I need to accept that and re- direct my creativity to where I can succeed.

My parents dying or having a serious health problem, it is bound to happen with the way they take care of themselves (or don’t for that matter). It has limited me because I’ve never felt compelled to move very far away, in part because I liked being close enough if they ever needed me. Maybe I didn’t move far away because I wasn’t a very good student in HS and I went to SB to chase a boy. Then things fell apart and when I moved home CSUN seemed to be a good place to transfer to and now I’m in LA (I love LA), so maybe it hasn’t limited me in that way. I think it was just the way my life worked that I didn’t have the grades for a UC so I didn’t have the opportunity to move away and then I entrenched myself in the LA Jewish community and who would want to leave that? I fear... Being alone? - Not really, I’ve never felt alone. I have amazing friends, a great family, my hamster and fish, my Or Ami family, my Jewish World Watch family, and the Jewish community as a whole. I’ve never had a problem in the male department, its more about being picky and knowing what kind of person I want to spend MY life with- and he’s out there and I will find him or I’ll settle and be just as happy :) Death or Disease? - Eh, I think I’m taking the necessary steps to ensure good health, trying to exercise and eat well, not doing anything too much in excess, giving blood, taking the right vitamins, going to the doctor when I should. I think there are something that are out of our control, that no matter what we do things can just happen. So I’m controlling what I can and the rest is up to fate and being in the right place at the right time! Heights? Snakes? Airplanes? Spiders? Earthquakes? Public Speaking? The Dentist? Dogs? The Weather? The Dark? Ghosts? Scary Spaces? Nope, not really. I guess you could say I’m pretty fearless- or you could call it naïve. Maybe I’ll grow to be afraid of something, but as for Michelle at 23 (almost 24) I’m good :)

My fear is that I will remain misplaced in my career. This will stroke my insecurities around being successful and providing properly for my family. My intention over the next year is to remain centered and focused on my truth and what my skills are, continue to leverage and promote these skills. I will also engage in activities that utilize my skill set to constantly remember what I do and that I do it well. I will also remind myself that I position that does not match me well, does not define me and what I bring to the world.

I fear there is not enough love, which plays with my fear of appearing needy. I will work on remembering the abundance of the universe and use this to calm myself when I feel envious or jealous. I will work on asking for what I need instead of assuming I won't get it.

Not so much "fear" as "dislikes". I avoid those activities and that limits my ability to move forward. I continue to incrementally improve.

I fear conflict with my wife. I plan to deal with it by concentrating on communicating with her and not avoiding conflict. On bringing things up before she has to or before they become problems. Sometimes I fear giving my daughter a bath because I feel awkward doing it--that I am always holding her at an awkward angle, that she might slip or I might bump her head ... and so she doesn't have as much fun with me giving her a bath as when her mom does it. I plan to just have the courage to give her more baths and so I will get more comfortable with it.

Although many look to me as someone who puts her personal beliefs and values on the line, who risks authenticity - and it is true that I do that - there are places in my life where I resist taking action. I will seek the necessary support to do this.

I am a cancer survivor coming up to my 6 year post treatment. About 2 years ago I felt truly recovered, both physically and mentally, but it is always peeking over your shoulder.Will it be back? My work with a wondeful therapist who works with cancer survivors has helped me NOT have this feeling limit my life. I acknowledge the fear when it floats by, visit the oncologist when I should, and live a healthy, active life. But I am so happy I sought professional help to sort out my thoughts after my cancer experience and would urge others to do so through my route or support groups.

I have a fear that I will always think the "grass is greener". It goes hand-in-hand with my jealousy emotion. This way of thinking applies to my relationships with women, my job, and my personal possessions. I always think there is a prettier girl, a more lucrative job, and more impressive material goods to have. I want to try to overcome it by appreciating those things that I already have and not always worry about what other people have or think.

I joke about this sometimes but it’s always meant in a half-serious way. I worry (at least to some very real extent) that I’m unlovable—unlovable in the sense that I may never meet someone who wants to be with me as much as I want to be with him. It can be easy to feel overlooked and neglected, but it’s more worrying that oftentimes, I date men who really seem to have little interest in me as a person and little investment in the relationship. Someone I dated last winter warned me that I can come off as a bit “reticent”—that I’m not easy to crack open. I agree, but in part that’s because I felt so hugely betrayed by someone I had dated several years ago. I want to work on opening up to someone new in my life, to letting down the guard and letting someone in.

I am afraid of not making enough money to sustain my current life. It has kept me from trying other opportunities, particularly performance opportunities, that appeal to me. I have no idea how to overcome that fear in the coming year, especially with the economy as it is right now. I plan to simply look for job opportunities that pay well but make me happier than what I am doing now.

Not being good enough, failing. I'm going to believe in myself, think big, go for it, and most importantly put the time on!

I am afraid I will dislike the next thing more than the current thing. So I don't change. Mistakes in judgment happen, so I should change and then just do it.

Basic fear would be spiders. I know it sounds stupid but I don't like them. My family always laugh at me for it but I just say to my mum 'How would you like it if there was a snake in the room?' Haha. But yeah the main fear I have is the loss of people I am close to and it would be my fault.

I have a fear that life is going to pass me by. That I'm not planning enough for the future--a future that will be here sooner than I know. When I read this next, I'll be 25--and probably nowhere near where I think a 25-year-old should be. I keep doing this 10Q exercise hoping that one year I'll read my answers and feel accomplished and incredible... but that might not happen for several more Yom Kippurs.

The impending losses of the next five years, my parents, my uncle, my marriage, the connection with my children. I need more people in my life, to be able to put myself out there and fully engage in relationship.

I am so afraid of just fucking living my life.

I'm frightened of failure. More and more each day. It is stopping me from chasing larger dreams. I'm frightened that I'm not scared of normality anymore so I'll be ok living in mediocracy my whole life and never striving for anything.

Im terrified my parents will say No when i tell them im going to apply and then go to MUD. Its not money that is my concern, its my fear that they wont support my decision to follow my dreams. I plan on telling them very soon. Its my junior year and i need to start looking into schools

I'm terrified of people vomiting. It's more than a fear at this point. I have no idea where it's from or why it's so intense, but it's ridiculous. I have trouble flying because I'm afraid that someone will get sick. I get sweaty and shaky if someone near me says they don't feel well. I can't ride in a bus with strangers. If someone coughs on the train, I automatically jump to the conclusion that they're going to get sick. It's gotten to the point where I have panic attacks when someone near me gets sick. The worst part is that I know it's unnatural and irrational. I tell myself all the time that so long as they don't vomit on me, someone else getting sick is none of my concern. And I believe myself, too. I just can't help overreacting like this.

I am afriad of leaving my confort zone and just really doing what my heart desires.Start listening to my inner voice whenever I hear it

Talk more in RS! and to everyone, spread the word of Jesus. Pray over it. Think before I speak, especially on how to word my views.

I get extremely anxious whenever I have to go out and interact with strangers. Like store clerks, cashiers, teachers, even other students. It's been getting a lot better, but it's still annoying. I am going to be very stern with myself, and refuse to run away from my fear.

I absolutely fear failure. I think that's why I hold back to so much and that's why I avoid things so often. I avoid truly interacting with Toby sometimes because I am afraid I will mess him up. I am afraid I will fail so I don't even try, to lose weight, to do school, to save money, etc. I am going to try and let go of that this year. I want to live, not spend my life on the couch.

I think I'm just scared of growing up. I feel like my life happens so fast, and just yesterday I was a little freshy just starting high school. Now I'm in two APs, mostly honors classes, touring ensemble, the play I'm learning to drive, learning to earn my own money, and I'm preparing to get myself into college. Its terrifying, but I am learning that even when you're scared of something, the only way to get over that is to just do it anyway. And so I will grow up. I will drive, and go to college and get a job and be a real person in the real world. I don't want to be this scared person I turned into.

I have a fear of confronting people. I don't want to hurt peoples feelings or come across as a bitch. I need to remember that my view on things is just as important as someone elses. I need to be strong and remember that not everyone needs to like me. It's okay if someone gets mad at me because I stood up to them and disagreed. I can do this in a respectible way. So, how am I going to do this? Good question? Hope I figure out the answer before these answers are emailed back to me in a year!!

I have had a fear of giving everything I have in meeting with clients, of trusting that I can really do it. I plan on accepting more and more that "everything I have" is not always going to work and that that is OK. I will dare to try more, using my skill set and creativity to overcome my self-imposed limitations.

I guess getting close to people, or so I have been told. Well I appear to be heartless and bitchy (another thing noted to me, haha) and I seem to have this internal deadline that tells me when to end my relationships. It's weird... Hopefully I will encounter some people that can help me see otherwise, and hopefully I have the balls to make it work

I fear failure. I fear pain. I fear heartbreak. I think overcoming the obstacles that I am so uncomfortable with will help me to overcome them.

I am afraid of moving forward. I finally have a love, and a life that is wonderful. But this year I have floundered in my career, and I need to get inspired to move on. I've been in the same place, and unhappy, for years- I need this to be the year I make a change.

I fear - as do most people, says Darren Hardy - my potential greatness. I fear how powerful, effective, and helpful (for lack of a better word, meaning "how much I potentially could obligate myself to helping others - you know; I don't want to take on "too much" because I'm afraid I won't be able to come through) I can become. "How do I plan on letting it go or overcoming it in the coming year?" Tonight, I begin Omega IV - that should help a lot. (Of course, I can't say much because it'd spoil the surprise for others who could be helped by Omega Vector.) I'm also reading "The Compound Effect" and working with its worksheets. I'm eager to settle what my values are and, therefore, make decisions much more easily - "Does it fit my values? If no, don't. If yes, do."

I have a fear of success. I am afraid that if I do well, then others will expect more of me consistently. To compensate, I sabatoge myself. I occasionally fail to turn in projects on time and am far harder on myself than necessary. I need to cheerfully get work done on time. I've deleted timewaster games on my computer and am finding that it is fun to get the work done.

I have a terrible fear that I am not good enough and rather stupid. It manifests in awful ways. It prevents me from trying different things professionally, speaking up in group meetings, and doing my best work. I don't know how I plan to deal with it.

I have an irrational fear of elevators. I don't plan on overcoming it; it's impossible, and I've accepted that.

I am claustrophobic and I'm not sure if I will ever be able to get over that fear. I will try to put myself in situations that make me realize that it is not necessary to fear close places.

As much stride as I've made in this department, I still have an aversion to conflict. Not that one should be looking for fights, but what this does is cause me to be a bit passive aggressive, particularly to those I'm closest to. My partner and I are always working toward more open communication so I'm taking it step by step; if there's something I'm unhappy or unsettled about, I'm getting more inclined to sharing it with him. Part of it is confidence--in my self and my ideas. In my work and my volunteer activities, I'm seen as a leader... I'm working on allowing that strength and self-assurance to penetrate other areas of my life.

I have a fear that I'm not good enough, and that if I try something I'll fail. It's let me down in exams and other situations before, and also leads me to procrastinate and try and distract myself from doing things I'm afraid I'll fail at which leads to them becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. I've become a lot more relaxed and calmer over the past year, as I've been out of academia and come to realize that there is more to life than exams and marks. I've also realized that I can depend on my family for support and encouragement no matter what, and knowing these things makes me feel that if I try, I can overcome my fears.

I'm afraid of more or less everything. This, of course, limits me in everything I do. Hopefully in the coming year I will be able to grab life by the horns, so to speak, and start taking on experiences.

My main fear is failing. I'm afraid I'm going to hate my job, hate my path I chose in college. Everything is so sudden and now. I plan on trying to get more involved in schools and trying to get into classrooms to make sure I do love what I believe I want to do. I don't want to waste the time or money if I'll end up hating it later.

I have no particular fears... sometimes I feel I will never fall in love again or meet someone worth it, and that scares me... How I will overcome this is a very different story. Time will tell.

Fear of my own vulnerability and dark places. It keeps me from fully feeling and being my true self, foibles and all. I hope developing a somatic practice and working with my therapist and general mindfulness will help me let this fear go.

I fear that I am going to be a miserable person and not have any true friends. It's limited me because I keep people at a distance without truly letting anybody into my life. I make the mistake of trusting people too easily, but at the same time, not trusting them. It can be confusing for me at times. I think I need to let go of my need to control things and have more faith in the God I came to trust. Intend for things to be a certain way and truly believe for that intention to come into fruition. Trust people and attract those I want in my life. Be sexy, bold, confident, lovely, beautiful, happy, outgoing, charismatic, charming, witty, and others will be attracted to that. If not, they're not people I want in my life anyway.

I´m afraid of making decisions. Everytime I need to resolve smth, I feel almost dying, thinking them over all the time. I plan just to do a lot of decisions, without "heart-overthinking".

I am really scared of failing. Not just in uni, but in life. I dont want to fall into the temptations that are in my life and I want to be able to be proud of myself. I have to remember that God has a plan for me, and he will always look after me. NO MATTER WHAT!

That someone will find out that I am not as smart or pretty or talented as so many people think I am. Makes me afraid to ask for things -- that it will be refused because I am not worth bothering with. I am learning to ask -- to accept affection and pleasure because I am worth being cared for. That I delight people and I am treasured

I have had a fear of being judged for years.. and I feel I have finally let it go, however coming back to the US, I am afraid I will get it back again

im afraid incase i dont get my degree.

I have many fears. I'm afraid of the dark. I need to get over that for my kids, which I've been trying to do. Fear of upsetting people. I need to learn how to speak out for what I believe in without caring what other people think.

The obvious one that comes to mind is the phobia I've had of driving - and I'm well on the way to conquering that! In the coming year, I hope that I will get my driver's license. More generally, though, I will be working on the fear of limiting my options that has led me to let so many opportunities go by in the past. Sometimes, you just have to do something!

I have a deep fear of failure. I mean a deep, deep fear of failure. I think there's this part of me that feels like there are certain aspects of my life which I have completely and utterly failed in, and therefore, I have this uncontrollable need to succeed at the other things I feel more confident about. I have absolutely no idea how to completely overcome this other than to step back and look at those failures and trek after them one more time for a try of success. Additionally, I need to let go of some control issues I have around those areas of success that already exist. I need to loosen the reigns I have on those areas because they will continue to fly smoothly.

The one fear I have is really approaching people, and talking to people, that I don't know. It has really limited me to the friends that I have, not like I don't have enough friends, but it limits the people and cultures that I can meet. Also, the fact that I don't approach people has also limited me in finding a date: if I had the courage to approach a man, it would be easier, but since I don't, I'm always waiting for someone to approach me, so I want to work on getting courage to talk to people that I don't know.

I think I'm afraid of missing out. I worry if I don't do everything perfectly right now, I will close doors to opportunities in the future that I will really want. I'm starting to realize that having a successful career in which I impact the world is only part of the equation in terms of what is important to me and what I believe is leading a good life. I also want to build and nurture my personal community of family, friends and neighbors. Hopefully with this in mind, I can let some of the perfectionism in my school life go so that I can focus on the people I care about as well.

My biggest fear is my vulnerability. I limit my expectations and intimacy because I fear being left, abandoned,rejected and loved. So I give a lot but am careful not to appear to need a lot. My father became very ill when I was very young, was hospitalized several times, we had to move from what was home to a kinder climate, died quite young,and I have feared depending on anyone totally since then. I have to be able to take care of my own needs when necessary.

J'ai peur de ne jamais trouver l'amour, après ces deux échecs terribles. Me voilà mère célibataire, et famille recomposée-décomposée. Je voudrais enfin comprendre tout cela, et avancer. Suis capable d'aimer? Il faut que je continue ma psychothérapie. Je dis me retrouver physiquement et devenir mentalement celle que j'aurais dû être.

I'm afraid of rejection. I never put myself out there and I think it's come back to bite me. I want to be able to put myself out there more.

I fear that what I bring to the table isn't as unique or special as I think it is. I'm afraid that people will find that out. I want to let go of the idea that more education is the source to resolving this fear - no matter how educated I become, the fear is still in me and won't be released until I release it.

I have a fear that I will lose the idea of home. Or the fear that I will remain bound to the idea of home. I want to figure this fear out by next year and then work on it.

I have so many fears! Fear of not being liked, fear of not being smart, fear of not being interesting, fear of never finishing anything I start, fear that I will never figure out a career that I truly love and am good at, fear that I am not present enough in my relationship with my family, and on and on. All of these things are limiting. My plan is to just continue to work on these things, to grow, to be brave, to learn from others, to push myself.

I don't seem to have any fears any more. My only hesitancy seems to be in trying to get a job as a bartender or getting music gigs at happy hours in restaurants or bars. However, I have sent out several resumes and applications for the former, and will be looking into the latter this Autumn.

I'm terrified of sounding stupid. I don't want to admit deep dark fears, even if I don't mind my (husband/friend/colleague) knowing them, it's just that I worry about sounding dumb. I judge myself very harshly and often will refrain from saying something lest the other person misunderstand, or laugh, or think I'm pathetic. Not sure how to overcome this apart from just practicing saying what I think more often. Chances are, the other person can relate.

Dying before "tomorrow." It was after a performance of "Bye Bye Liver" on top of the theater with the house managers during a lightening storm that I realized that I don't want to die before tomorrow... Call "tomorrow" whatever you want: marriage, kids, a made-for-TV-movie, etc. I have goals in life and I don't want to die before I've accomplished them. It's kind of outside my range of 'things I have control over,' which is comforting to know, but still frustrating to learn that I care...because I didn't use to. I attribute this to turning 25.

I'm afraid to become attached to someone, emotionally. I have so many trust issues it's difficult for me to try and have a relationship with anyone.

I fear death. Not the notion of dying or of this life coming to an end, but what comes after. I am a faithful person, but I fear eternity and forever. I fear the process of death and the experience of "returning to God". The notion of hereafter, although I accept it theologically, is one I struggle with. Some people live with the mystery of it. At times I can, but often I am paralysed by it. Spiritual experience - direct, meaningful, profound - is the only way I can see of overcoming this. If through piety, prayer and spiritual discipline, I can taste something of that plan time after time, perhaps I can overcome it.

I am afraid of intimacy and the vulnerability that it brings. I don't know if I will ever overcome this but I am going to try to be more open in the coming year and everytime I feel afraid, I am going to actively push myself to do the thing that I am afraid of. Time will only tell if it will work.

I fear for my sons every day. The eldest has just been dumped by the mother of his children; he's so sad and angry and frustrated that I'm afraid for his welfare and his behavior. The youngest is a risk taker--he's getting better as he gets older, but I'm still afraid that he'll get in over his head someday. Every time the phone rings, I cringe inside. This year I'd like to get to know my kids as the adults they are so I can feel better about their ability to manage their own lives and take good care of themselves.

I'm afraid of my partner and I not being able to earn enough income, not living within our modest means, and of our businesses not succeeding enough for us to be able to make some significant headway on our debts. I'm also afraid that financial pressure, and our very different attitudes towards it, will lessen my respect for him, which would be very bad for our relationship. If he does not change his attitudes, I will be stuck with some very difficult decisions. Do I yield to the temptation of attuning myself more with his casual attitudes towards finances? Perhaps I could stand to lose some perfectionism and rigidity. Do I find a way to succeed enough that it doesn't really matter what he thinks or does with his income because I'll be able to cover both our backs? Sounds hard! I think some combination of those two strategies will be what I follow.

I'm afraid that my wife is never going to get past this time in her life that is neither having babies nor having a career; that is always being tired from the nightmares, the headaches, the upset stomach; that she will always be talking about the obstacles and not how to get around them. I see that this fear gives me a reliable well of worry and resentment, and a reason to overeat and then to feel I should spend my personal time on exercise when there are other things I love more. I see that the fear limits me in a parallel way to the limits I resent in her. To let it go I need to risk going ahead on my own, having a good day, a good night, a good year. I need to stop trying to be the hero nurse who always makes her feel better or takes the burden away. I need to face the deeper fear that if I'm really successful and doing what I want, i'll be deserted. Otherwise will I cling to her when she is doing herself wrong?

I have a fear of not being good enough, I am working on knowing I am.

I'm really afraid of not doing anything that I want with my life. So I finally took a risk and signed up for the Disney College Program to take a step in the right direction. I also have a fear of losing my family. I really am scared to not have them here in my life. I don't know what I'd do about that.

I'm afraid my best isn't good enough, so I never do my best. I hope that I lose all the weight I want to lose, so then I can stop using my weight/size as an excuse for things I don't like about myself/my life and I will have to do my best... like it or not!

I am scared because I am pretty sure that I am battling depression. I am so down all the time because I am not happy with the size of my body. I am at least 30 pounds overweight for my body type. I plan to really, really try to loose this weight. As I said before, hopefully I can look my best when I go to France in Summer 2011!

Not having employment in the upcoming year. I enjoy where i work, but the people i work with are hard to read, a lot of the time they seem like they regret hiring me. So i don't know. But i don't think i'll be there after Christmas, that's my biggest fear.

I have a bit of social anxiety. I'm not too scared of it but I'm much more of a homebody than I really should be. I wouldn't say it's a fear but people become more settled as we get older so it's something I've grown used to. I suppose it's worth saying that I'm a bit anxious a lot and scared to be alone when super anxious. That is something I need to overcome.

I fear that **** will die, that we will go bankrupt, that, that...... I'm reading the scrolling answers down the side, and I read: "I have a fear of making the wong choice or decision. Recently I realized that the 'wrong' decision does not exist, it's just a choice. One path or another. Each with their own set of consequences both good and bad." I think that's me, and I've printed this bit of wisdom down. Will I be able to believe this? How do I plan on letting go of or overcoming my fears? I would like to keep writing, reading, learning, and trying to understand that my friends love and support me. I'm supported. And still I fear. How would the limits change for me if I had no (false) fear?

I am afraid about my own financial situation and it has created a perspective of "scarcity" rather than "abundance" which feels quite negative and deficit oriented. I plan on trying to let go of some of my concerns...there is only so much control I have given the resources I have available. I also plan to try to really get a better handle on my finances, so that I am not filled with anxiety about it. I'm also filled with terror at the idea of getting older, not because of myself, but because I have a daughter with a developmental disability. Who will take care of her when her father and I are gone. There are no siblings. What can I do about this? Let go of most of it, and then develop a plan for her future. She is almost 15, but if I had some legal things in place, as well as a letter of intent for her, it might bring me some peace. And I need to find some kind of trust that my nieces and nephews will step up to the plate far in the future.

i have a fear of success. the pressure to do well. i hope to overcome it by registering for college and completing my degree.

my fear is the rejection and isolation from my family. It has limited me because i have been afraid to be myself and do the things i want to. Ive let my family or the fear of them rule my life for too long. I have already started overcoming it and plan to continue to ignore the negative thought my family throws my way

I think the greatest concerns I have right now are for my family and for my health. Our family has endured much hardship, pain and just horrible damage. I have seen and continue to see G-d s grace, provision and healing as well as forgiveness. I desire to see even greater levels of restoration. For my health, pain is the biggest limiter in my life. I manage as best I can but it remains a barrier. I can't use strong pain medications (allergies) nor do I desire to as they have their own risks, but I do need to find ways of improving my health so that the pain does not steal so much of my life and attention.

I'm scared of being rejected and/or criticized. Whenever someone says anything that can be viewed as negative, I can't stop thinking about what I did wrong. I'm trying to not care so much about what people think, and honestly I'm a lot better than I was a year ago. Let's hope I can say that again in 2011.

The fear I have is that my husband and I will keep growing apart. I feel like I am moving forward and he is stuck in the same place. I am just going to keep on doing my part in keeping my marriage in good health, and leave the rest to God.

My fear is that that I'll end up single for the rest of my life, or that I'll be tool old to have kids myself. It limits me by putting stress on me, and causes me to go to a lot of events where I'd meet people, rather than something that would just interest me. I'm planning on overcoming it this year because I'm going to meet someone! :-) I guess i need to do more activities that I just like to do.

I have a fear of spending my life alone and then dying alone. I don't want that, but my outlook isn't good for anything. I fear death and I fear life. And the only thing I can do about these fears is not think about them. Anonymously talking to someone could help, but I've never been good with words. I never say what I mean, and I always end up frustrated and tongue-tied. I guess I just need help. But I have no idea where I can find this help. I also have a fear of silence. Music or some other kind of sound needs to play constantly. I don't like it, and my family just scoffs when I turn the music on. They don't understand.

I have a fear of letting people close to me. I'm always afraid they will just leave me for no reason. It kills my relationships with friends and loved ones. I need to work on myself and be more confident in order to help myself get over that. I also just need to learn how to trust someone.

I'm very afraid of not being the best one. It's difficult for me to realise that there are people that's better than me not only academically but also humanly, and that fear makes me doubt and get frustrated. But I have to face it... as there're always people worse than you, also there're people better than you. I just have to work on being the best I can be, no matter if that makes me the second one. If being the second one is the best I can do, then it's okay.

Nuevamente, creo que mi timidez es una especie de miedo a hacer el ridículo con alguien más. creo que necesito ayuda, no creo que sea capaz de superarlo yo sola.

I am afraid that I am not able to keep a job. In my field. I have to get over that and just look for any job.

I have issues of not feeling like I am "good enough" when it comes to keeping a neat and organized house. I always lose the battle with clutter, and I hate regular cleaning chores. There are a few reasons for my cleaning aversion. One is that my mother is an extremely tidy person, and since I can never live up to her standards, I simply give up. Another is that the act of cleaning aggravates my dust allergy. Finally, I find cleaning really boring, and it's easy to get distracted by something more mentally challenging. With a child coming into our family, I feel like I will simultaneously face new challenges in keeping a livable house while needing to set a good example. I think I will need to work out a cleaning schedule and develop good habits. Hopefully I can do this while I am on maternity leave and keep it up after going back to work.

I constantly fear loss - of respect, love, family, time, self. Even when it's better, it's still there. And when it's there, it's debilitating. It's like I can't let go of the idea. The only way I know to not get sucked in is to deny it's even there.

I fear that I will never be in a long-term, committed relationship. This is something of which I have been afraid for more than a dozen years, and the idea of not being afraid of it is incomprehensible to me. Mostly I ignore it but sometimes it wells up and makes me so unspeakably sad that I almost don't know how to handle the feelings of grief, sorrow, and despair that go along with this belief. This fear has limited me in that I have made consistent choices over the years to be in relationships that were not mutual, beneficial, or sustainable. I've always believed that no relationship would ever play a lasting role in my life, that no partner would ever be in the long-term picture. Because of this belief, I haven't seen the need to pursue or participate in meaningful, appropriate relationships until recently. Now I feel stuck and confused because there is a person who's been in my life for about a year and a half who loves me unconditionally and (I think?) wants to be in my life for awhile somehow. My fear is both that I do not want to be with her because this relationship is not as completely *passionate* and fulfilling as I want it to be, and that I have such an inaccurate perception and understanding of what committed long-term relationships are like that I will separate myself from her and end up regretting it for the rest of my life. How do I plan on letting it go or overcoming it in the coming year? I've spent a lot of time reflecting on this topic and have given it a lot of consideration, even before it was Q09 this year. The best I can come up with is a two-pronged approach: 1) Lots. Of. Therapy. 2) Be brave and just live through it. What will have happened by the time I read this answer in the fall of 2011? Will I have a better sense of what being free of this fear might be like? It's been part of what I've known for so long, for more than twelve years. And, what that means is that it has actually served me in some unhealthy, hard-to-examine ways. I can't imagine much changing in twelve short months, but I guess you never know? I will choose to be hopeful.

I fear dealing with authority and difficult situations. As far as dealing with it, I don't know and I am scared!

I'm not sure I have too many fears left that haven't faced in the past few years. I have spent a good portion of the last year becoming a stronger person and letting down some walls. Mostly I worry about losing the house for lack money because of no job.

I am afraid of failure and rejection. I'm going to start taking risks and living my life to the fullest.

I'm afraid of confrontation. I'm afraid of people not liking me. As a result I try to make everyone happy. In the upcoming year I need to find more ways to address confrontational situations productively. I also need to learn that it's OK if not everyone likes me.

I just realized I have so many! Fear of intimacy, fear of not being hot enough, fear of being a loser for the rest of my life. Its limited me in that I haven't had a real relationship in ten years and I just have a job not a career. I plan on overcoming it by using answers to the previous questions, just going for it, taking care of my health, and learning how to open my heart in yoga.

Fear of failure. I'm a perfectionist. I want to try new things, but knowing that the end result won't be perfect keeps me from even starting, even though I know failure is the only way I'm going to learn and get better. Can I let it go? I haven't been able to before. Baby steps. Let's try sewing more.

I have a deeeeeep fear of letting my light shine... I know this only keeps the good people away rather than the creeps... I just don't want that attention. I know where it's roots are (low self worth and sexual assault) so why is it so darn difficult to deal with this successfully?

My greatest fear has always been losing my friends. It actually had limited me in some of my choices. I sometimes lie, to make myself seem better to them, which then just distances me from them even more. I will try to be more honest with them, or if I can't do that, at least tell them I can't tell them.

Like the child of an abusive parent, I often fear whatever good thing I've been given will be snatched away suddenly. Also, looking around at the slack mouths and vacant eyes of many Americans, I fear the zombie apocalypse will arrive without us noticing.

I have fear of heights and water. I can overcome them only if I can eliminate the fear of getting hurt or at more extreme the fear of death. I guess I need to submit myself more to God and try activities related to them safely which might help in overcoming it. I don't know whether it would be done in the coming year.

I have thousands upon thousands of fears; I fear people watching me, overly huge crowds, etc etc. My biggest fear is being judged/being made fun of. This goes along with the weight issue, I am shy and I try to hide as much as I can in social situations because I absolutely don't want to be the topic of conversation because of my fat. I want to be the topic of conversation because of my inate sense of fashion, my personality, how strikingly intriguing I am. Not about how many cupcakes I am going to/have wolfed down at the christmas party. That is something that annoys me so horribly. Why do people automatically assume that fat people are so horrible? So what, he doesn't work out and has a little chub on him. Yes, she is not naturally a size 2, so fuck off. Just because I havent kept my weight down doesn't mean I am a horrible person, it means I am jolly from not constantly counting my calories. I may need a few more shots than you to get drunk but I am still a good fucking time. I wish people weren't so judgemental, so they could get to know me for me and look beyond my fat.

I'm terrified of flying. It has pretty much crippled me since I've had a child and has expanded to include my parents, sibling and husband. I don't plan on overcoming it, but I will do my best to let it go and relax.

I think a fear I have that limits me is the fear of being a failure or not being good enough, and how it limits me is that it sometimes stops me from even trying to achieve certain goals or do certain tasks. How I plan on letting it go over the coming year is by constantly affirming my self-worth and letting myself know that I AM enough, and that all that I do comes from good intentions and a pure heart... and that that is worthwhile, and most certainly enough.

fear of getting rid of something and then wanting or needing it later. i'd like to do some house clearing and try living with less material things around me. i think this will help create more physical, emotional and creative space.

fear of failure. I haven't tried to pursue the things that most appeal to me... like ART b/c of this. i will overcome this by DEDICATED MY TIME AND ENERGY COMPLETELY to this! for the next 9 months!!

The fear of living alone and dying alone grips me too tightly. I need to accept that life is a journey, with or without others, it is lovely and beautiful either way.

I fear my in-laws turning against me. I've never felt I really fit in with my husbands family. From experience, I know that all it takes is one bad move and they will write me off as pointless. This has greatly limited my personality from how I dress to what I say to where I go. At this point, they probably think they know me pretty well, but I still feel isolated. I suppose the only way to overcome that is to feel secure enough in my marriage that it won't ever matter what the rest of the family thinks. That, and move FAR away!

I am afraid of being laughed at, of being pitied, of being thought lower class. I guess I hope that with therapy and/or more reflection I can deal with this.

I am fearful that even after I finish school that there won't be anyone who wants to hire me in my field. I worry that I won't live up to my husbands thoughts of me. He's such a wonderful supporter and I don't want to let him down.

my low self esteem. I must realise how I love myself and how others love me :)

I have an ongoing fear of being judged inadequate by my spouse. It has limited me by making me more self-conscious and tense. I wish I had a surefire answer about letting it go, but it's been a plague for years. Maybe just reminding myself that we are happily married and my fear is a pointless waste of energy will do it. Knowing I've written this into the 10Q vault may actually help.

I would like to be less afraid of voicing my political and religious opinions. Since I often repress my opinions around those who disagree with me - I inadvertently let frustration build up until it boils over in anger. I would like to be able to have reasonable discourse about controversial items with my conservative family members.

I have a fear of continuing to under value myself and not put myself out there in search of what I want and can do. I have spent my life going with the flow, I want to develop a target and shoot for it with all I have- to overcome my fear of making the wrong decision, of not being good enough, etc., etc.

I'm still afraid of being alone, but I'm slowly getting over this. I'm starting to realise how wonderful I am and how much I can give myself. I don't need a thousand human ties to be happy.

I have a fear of failure and a crushing sense of embarrassment sometimes. It stops me being all that I think I can be, by preventing me from making the wilful spontaneous decisions that I wish I could. I will continue to work on this in my art and personal life, taking up therapy again if I feel I need more help on it. I want 2011 to be the year I finally let go of my fears and become the man I know I can be.

My fear of not being in a relationship, as I am very insecure of myself. I would try to go out more and meet new people.

I'm afraid of so many things, I can't think of one.

I am afraid of rejection. I'm shy and have a fear that people won't like me and laugh at me. I wanna make new friends, go to parties, get a boyfriend, and do all those teenager type things, but I'm afraid that I'm not pretty enough to do things like my sister. I wanna lose weight and slowly get myself out of my shell so I can make new friends. Maybe even get myself a boyfriend.

i think i'm probably not alone in being frightened to express myself - for fear of rejection, failure, falling flat on my face. it's impacted on my work-life and, even worse, my relationships - making me moody, frustrated, passive-agressive and prone to major sulks and funks. i really don't know how to overcome this or even if i can. i guess i just have to recognise past hurts, get stronger, move on and be a little braver. it all sounds rather vague - i need a magic button.

As a book designer, I guess I do have a fear that traditional publishing will dry up and be replaced with e-publishing. I just have to remind myself that I have multiple interests and ideas, adaptation will not be a problem. If anything a joy.

I'm afraid of what the future holds in that I may or may not get a job, make enough money to live on, LIKE what I'm doing, etc. Same as every other college student, sadly, but I'm going to overcome it by taking risks and doing the best I can to succeed and win!

I have deep fear of being alone. It limits me because I feel trapped at times, and unable to take action toward my dreams. My plan is to cultivate self love, and let all the creative dreams that are swimming freely in my psyche come out and be free and live in the world and become real

I have a fear of success and of people not liking me because of it. I need to just let that go.

I don't like closed in spaces and I get panic attacks...so I stay away from situations like that. If I'm forced into it, then I close my eyes and pray until I'm out of it.

I fear that my father will die, and that i dont know what i would do without him. Its too scary to imagine and its been my biggest fear since i was a child. It limits me because i want to plan my life around him somehow, which is really hard because he is ALWAYS traveling. Im not sure of how to let go or overcome it, but i do look forward to spending more time with him this year now that he will be visiting more often.

I fear rejection, humiliation, scorn, failure --- and I fear, despite my efforts or maybe because of them, my daughter will continue to be hampered by exactly the same issues. I don't know that there is any way to overcome or let that go, without a personality transplant, but I hope therapy and medication will soften it.

I'm a seeker of the perfect: the perfect relationship, the perfect apartment, the perfect partner. And in the meantime, I wait, without moving forward, since if I do so I might not be perfectly ready when the perfect whomever/whatever comes along. How do I change or overcome this? It's hard. I know that in the past when I've just decided to leap at good enough, good enough turns out, more often than not, to be great. To use a cliche, life indeed turns out to be what happens when you're busy making -- in my case, waiting for -- other (perfect) plans. To give one ridiculous instance: I live with a comfy but extremely tattered couch that's 20 years old -- what am I waiting for?

I am always afraid to let go. I hide it by just 'not liking balloons', but it's much more than that. The balloon is just a representation - I don't like it when balloons fly away, or pop, as they inevitably do. However, what it really represents is my fear of letting something go. My house is cluttered. I have too many clothes. My garage is full of old stuff that I don't even know what's in there. I can't clean a room because I just don't know where to start, or what to do with stuff. I have to start small, look at one small part of the problem instead of everything all at once.

I'm not quite sure what I am afraid of, or what it is that holds me back from projects and activities that give me pleasure. Fear of not being good enough, not being perfect? Of wasting too much time (which is actually what I end up doing)? I plan to find out more about this procrastinating/paralyzing fear over the next year and deal with it however I can.

I fear becoming obsolete. In terms of my profession, my looks, my smarts, my conversational abilities, my passion, everything.

my health and now I am exepting total healing every morning with large amounts of gratitude ......................thank you Jesus.

In the past I have been fearful of not being able to achieve my goals. After two years of answering these questions, I've been able to really measure how much progress I make in a year toward the things I want, and it is a remarkable amount. That fear is gone. The fear I have to contend with now, and work to rid myself of is the fear of not having enough to fit into a certain group. This is the classic "keeping up with the Joneses" deal, and I think it's born of growing up not in poverty but in a family that was "just getting by" most of the time, as well as associating with people who are (financially) more successful than me. It becomes a real fear, when I think "I need to make more money than this or people won't respect me" or "I need to make more money so I can continue to keep up with this social group" This paranoia has lead me to chase money and not opportunity over the past few years, and I need to overcome it in 2011. I'm still working on the "how" of that one.

I believe I have social anxiety. I wasn't diagnosed by a psychologist, but I think I have it because I have difficulties peeing in public restrooms. How did it limit me? I didn't poop five days (yes, five days) in a row in my first three weeks in the army. As for dealing with it, I'll have a job that would let me go home every day, so that I could poop at my will. :D

Fear of success has been a lifetime companion. I am learning to let go.

I fear that putting myself before others is selfish, and it is limiting me from pursuing my own aspirations. I need to recognize this is a tension in my life and remove it whenever it impedes my thought process.

I have a fear that I have made the wrong decision. I have a fear of my kids or my partner encountering tragedy. My life has been so blessed -- I wait for the shoe to drop.

I generally don't fear anything except the death of relationships, even when they are over and need to be. I need to remember that I have a full and rich life and am fine on my own. Romantic entanglements don't need to send me into depressions, particularly when the match was not exactly right from the very beginning (and I'm only just now admitting it to myself.)

fear of rejection , and ill get over it by being me and just dealing with it if it comes lol

My fear of heights. Actually I have a wall climbing class and I just panicked when I was already at the top because I couldn't let go so that they can bring me down. but maybe slowly I'm losing that fear. But really my greatest fear is growing old alone, loveless.

Changing and being lonely. I've started to realize that this isn't a dress rehearsal. I'm not going to get a second chance. I can stay in my comfortable little world and regret things when I get to my death bed, or I can try, by taking little steps, and see where it brings me.

I am worried that R. will die of cancer. I am worried that my parents will die. I am worried that my grandma will die. There is no way to overcome this. A fear of losing precious things seems to be an intergral part of life and I don't believe that people can or should let go of it. I also have a fear of riding my bike without holding on with both hands. That I can try to overcome by practice.

I'm overly afraid of messing things up. From now, I'll think things through, then act right away.

The fear that I will be poor. To deal with that on the practical I will invest with the Commodity site and take my profits and invest with Steve for a good rate of return.

The fear that I'm somehow going to crash and burn my life, again. I WILL be characterized by cheerful confidence and hope in MY future, because I know to whom I belong. I am God's precious treasure. I am His child. I belong to Him.

My biggest fear is inadequacy. It sounds silly but as a relative overachiever, coming from a place where overachieving is expected, I have a great fear of not measuring up, and it makes me unhappy. I can't always enjoy what I have if I don't feel it's good enough or seems prestigious enough. I'd like to focus on really appreciating the little things-and the big things that i have and have accomplished. To try not to measure by standards I make up in my head, and also-- to succeed in traditional ways. First, by asking for help.

I am afraid of being left again. I am also afraid of needing someone so much again. It is making me invest less in my current relationship than I would like to. I hope that over time, I can judge this relationship against itself, not the last one.

I have a fear of losing my parents. I also fear that I'll never be able to retire with enough money to live. I don't think I can ever overcome the fear of losing my parents. It's something I think about, something that happens in life. I'll need to be mature, caring, understanding and deal with it when the time comes. As for the financial thing, I'll need to start saving more, putting together a plan to save.

I'm afraid of getting hurt -- of getting emotionally close to someone. And physically close. But I want to overcome it and I'm working hard to fix it.

I fear being wrong and I fear failure. I lack confidence in myself. I want to work on being more assertive and more confident in myself. I am an intelligent and competent person. I can do anything.

I'm kind of afraid of the distance I have to go to make a career as a singer work. I know that everyone is backing me up on this, but it's going to take a huge amount of dedication to make it.

The fear that I could actually fail at life and spend my days miserable and alone, pining for something better that feels constantly out of reach. By naming this fear, becoming friendly with its signals and guises, and reminding myself as many times as I need that I do not believe its story, by next year that fear will be nothing but a memory and a joke.

I have a fear of not making the most of my time, I just want to be able to do as much as I can to be honest! Oh and a bit of a fear of those barriers at car parks because it might swing down on me :')

I fear growing old, and being alone. I don't think it has limited me; rather it has caused me to be more aware of the long term effect of my actions. In the coming year, I hope to be more honest with myself in relationships so that I don't waste time pursuing something that has no future. I want to build relationships that will be important in my life as I get older.

Fear of being alone, together with the fear of living the rest of my life in a vacuum. By becoming stronger and clearer about my own wishes I hope I will be able to work this out and feel more positive about my life.

Fear of giving up control and just letting things happen. I just be very conscious of this to let it go and know that things will turn out ok even if I don't have absolute control.

I am afraid to become successful because it makes me a target for attention. I am afraid of the negative attention. I am also afraid to lose time with my son and family. I am going to plow through the fear and have faith in myself and G-d. With the situation as it stands today, I HAVE to succeed.

The fear that I'm unworthy and useless. I plan on working on the root causes of these feelings and coping more effectively with current situations that trigger these feelings, and also, recognizing what is wonderful about myself.

I am afraid that my bad habits will become ingrained in my son. I will try to overcome some of my bad habits to be able to be a better role model for him.

I am often afraid of taking a stand. I always seem to be able to see both or all sides of a question and often do not have a strong opinion. I was asked this year to endorse candidates for city council in my small town and I found that very confronting. I don't trust my own opinions very much.

Failing. It absolutely paralyzes me. But if I'm going to make a living doing what I love, I'm going to have to face that fear head on. My name means strength, but it's courage I've always needed, and especially need now. It helps that I have people in my life who believe in me and what I can accomplish, but I just need to take a deep breath, take the first step and build momentum from there. I know I can do it. And if I don't try, I'll hate myself for it the rest of my life.

i am afraid of lifts, this has limited me because i have to always take the stairs, this is problematic sometimes if i have something like a suitcase or trolley. hopefully this year i will overcome it as my university accommodation is on the 16th floor of a tower block, i will try the lift occasionally and see how it goes. otherwise i will just become very very fit

Failure. It limits me because when I do fail...it feels like my world's crumbling.

I have many fears. They range from heights and insects to hair straightners and public speaking. Obviously some have a bigger affect in parts of my life whereas others are just silly. I'll just work through and hopefully overcome them.

I am afraid to let people in, even my husband. So over the next year, I am going to start with him. I think that I am scared that if people really knew me, they wouldn't like me. I am hoping that this won't be the case with my spouse. ;)

I'm afraid of my own potential to succeed. So I guess failing would have been the easier way to phrase that. Next year I'm going to do what makes me happy. I'm not going to do anything to impress anyone or make anyone else happy but me. And I think I have to have faith in my ability to persevere.

I am afraid of letting down barriers so that someone (a man!) can get in and get close. This year I plan to work on parts of myself I don't like (negativity, stubbornness, weight) and see how fixing me can help bring down the walls.

My greatest fear is that my life is over. That 53 is too old to have a future. That no one will hire me or even need me. It may be that no one will hire me - that's an external factor that's out of my control. But I can decide whether I'm contributing positively to the world and enjoying my life.

I have feared expressing myself fully in relationships, which is a recipe for unhappiness. I don't need people to like me in the way that I used to, but I do need to feel like I am being true to my best self. I will try to make that my guiding motivation.

feel of failing. fear of being too kooky. going ahead with writing. letting my spiritual self out of her closet.

I am afraid of not doing a good enough job so I kill myself at work and at home. obviously founded on lack of confidence, it limits me because I do not take care of myself and my own needs leaving me unable to give as much as I could to my family, community, the world.

That I won't ever have the family or the love that I know I deserve. I don't crave a curier & ives family, just a sane group who love to laugh, who drop whatever they're doing if I'm in need, will love me just as I am and who will love me fiercely. I think the fear has limited how much I trust people which isn't always a bad thing. I grew up with a crazy, insecure and self hating blood family. I think learning to trust my instinicts has helped & will continue to help me create or become apart of a family that truly cherishes me.

Fear of being myself, and I plan on embracing it.

I have a fear of being judged by other people, in all areas of my life. This has prevented me from living up to my full potential in my work and in personal relationships. I want to listen more to the voice that says, "Try it!" or "Go up and talk to that person." or "Ask a question!", instead of the voice that says, "Don't do that, that's stupid." I know I am my own harshest critic, and I think that the more I recognize this, the more I can overcome my fear. I am working on imagining worst-case scenarios and realizing that they are not that bad. I want to tap into my inner strength.

My fear of not having enough money to do all the things that interest me. I'll do some tapping and theta clearing and work it out of the way.

I fear alot. My biggest fear is regret, wondering whether I'll regret doing something or not doing something. I'll never know if I'm better off one way than the other. But the only way to deal with it is to decide, because the wrong decision is better than none at all.

I have a fear of being mocked and rejection and therefore I don't tend to let my true nature show in front of people. I'm afraid to get to know new people because I'm afraid they won't like me. I'm hoping to slowly get more confidence in myself and begin by talking to more strangers.

I am afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. I am not always very confident, and I feel like I am often guarding who I am with most people. It's like I don't know how to interact sometimes. I don't have a plan, but I will try to be more open. I need to be a better listener. That way I will be able to share more easily.

Financial fears and health fears. Stay in one day at a time. Face reality that all my needs are met, and my fears are unfounded. Review and modify as needed debt repayment plan and follow while also saving - and continue to develop Phenomenal Bedding and CalMend to increase income. HEALTH: begin to plan meals and eat accordingly. Walk.

Fear of the unknown...I plan to be more aware of hashem's presence so I can trust that we will be okay.

I always think people like me less than they actually they do. I think they don't want to talk to me, or that I'm annoying them. And I think that because of this, I have missed out on friendships and other relationships that I have really wanted or not even known about.

I'm somewhat shy and it's hinder me making new friends. I hope to in the coming year be more out going and make new friends.

I have fear of needles. It is managable. I am not scared of other things so much.

I'm scared of letting anyone close, this means my relationships don't last long. I would love to overcome this in 5771.

People--by just about everything. It's limited me from making friends and making good grades during presentations or because I'm too scared to ask for help. Thank you, Social Anxiety Disorder, for destroying another year. By staying in therapy and volunteering, I'm making progress.

i have awkward social situations, especially the whole 'hug, shake hands or kiss?' greeting thing. and going up to people i half know, or should know better, or i feel inferior to. i think it has caused me to miss out on oppertunities of friendship. i want to bring in a hugging policy for general meeting (its nice and makes people happy) and try to have fewer ideas of infrioirty and superiority established in my mind.

I am afraid of looking like I think too much of myself. I am afraid of being exposed as a fraud, as someone who doesn't actually know what she's talking about. I often feel like I am a fraud, like people think I know a lot more than I actually do. I don't know how to tackle this.

I have a fear of speaking in public and teaching even though that is what I am studying to do right now. I have a fear of not being able to speak on my feet as it were. So as I progress in my training I will hope to overcome that and be able to just allow information to flow.

Fear of being single the rest of my life pushes me to keep meeting people and dating. And fear of staying too long with the wrong person pushes me to move on and keeps me from really getting to know any of them. I want to put myself in situations where I can get to know someone better than just one impression - like weekend retreats, camping, dates where we do things other than just face each other and talk. And I want to give myself permission to get involved and know someone even if I'm not sure after the first couple of dates.

I'm terrified of growing up. It's limited me because I don't take initiatives I need to because I'm scared to. Hopefully with grad school coming up that will be a step in the right direction.

I fear that I am not making the most of this precious life we are living. And yet -- I have learned living a life well lived is not about achievement and more more more or knowing/judging people actions or myself as good or bad. I've learned it is not being driven by the experiences and perceptions from the past or hoping and worrying about the future. And yet -- I want to know I'm doing my best, making the best choices...and I'm fear that I'm failing. I hope to fully embrace that where ever I am and whatever I do -- is what I'm supposed to be/do. It is all perfect -- it is all my authentic path. My plan is to listen more than plan and accept more than question.

I am afraid of being the cat lady. Being alone. But I have to understand that with all the love and support that I have experienced this year that I will never be alone. I am so grateful for everyone that helped me this year. I only hope that I can repay the favor one day.

i need to learn how to forgive, especially when it comes to myself .

Fear of letting my wife down when it comes to money. Fear of not making a difference and not leaving my mark on the world.

I am fearful of leaving my company that I have worked for for the past 10 years because I would have to prove myself all over again and give up the resources I have come to rely on. It has kept me from moving out of the area and finding a better place for my family. With my family in mind, I am going to update my resume and use my resources to help me find a job in a place where my family can thrive and be happy.

The fear that I have now is that I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing. It's irrational because I really do know. I'm just afraid really of becoming destitute. Which is also irrational. But it lurks always on the fringes of my awareness. It causes me to be overly cautious I think. So, I plan to overcome it by facing it and being bold at every opportunity.

I fear not getting into Medical School. GPA wise I'm not the best, but I damn sure know I will be the best doctor. It's just something I'm good at. I might not be able to recite a book to you- spewing out words that are conceptually learned. But, I am able to take the time and look at you closely and actually care. I know I am passionate about this, it'll be more than a career but, my love. Helping those in need is something I am so looking forward to it. I know if I stop procrastinating I will be able to over come it- and just you watch me.

Fear of revealing my inner self to others. Fear of showing my real feelings (or lack thereof) towards others.

I have been afraid of being who God intends for me because I didn't want to overstep into being the spiritual head of the household. I have waited for my husband to lead us and I know now that I cannot wait any longer. I have missed too many teaching moments with my children and have hindered myself and them by not having the relationship I am to have with God. I will have to move forward and ask God to give me grace with my husband. Perhaps he will take the reins or just come along.

Committing to one thing or a few things. I have always hung on looking for a better option, which is maybe why I spread myself out over a variety of options. This was easy to handle when I was not the age I am and have to think about the process of getting older and security. I think maybe I have to strat thinking and choosing and believing that for the log term it is the right decision.

Fear of not fitting in with groups and people. It makes me become someone different and I lose sight of what I'm meant to do/say. Hopefully I can overcome it by accepting who I am. Chyeah...

I am terrified of letting anyone in to my heart. I am so scared that no one will ever love me for exactly who I am that I never let anyone close enough to hurt me, or know me at all. I just cannot open myself up to the possibility of finding love. When I choose to love someone I do it whole heartedly and without condition. Almost to the point that is physically hurts, and because I do love so hard it's a rare that I find someone that I am willing to invest my heart on. I want someone to love me so much that it hurts too, but more than that, I want it to be a reciprocal love; a partnership. I have a complex about not being worthy of it and that I have nothing to offer. I even use the excuse that my family is too crazy and that I would never subject someone to that type of burden. It also has a lot to do with not wanting to ever have to suffer a broken heart. I've had my heart broken too many times that I don't think I would survive it again. I am starting to recognize that I am not alone in having these fears and that everyone fears having there heart broken. I'm hoping that this year I will be able to just take that leap of faith by finally looking for someone who is worthy of the risk. I am going to try not to be so self deprecating and when someone pays me a compliment I am going to accept it graciously and know that I am worthy of praise. I'm hoping that by building my confidence I will finally find that self worth that will allow me to accept love and maybe it will find me worthy of having it!

I am afraid of lack of change. I need to try to settle into things and let them run their course before I run away. I am attempting to work on this by staying at my current job and in my current city although I have the opportunity to leave. I tried it with the man I loved, but I guess I learned that you can't swing too far in either direction because that did not work...somethings have to change and you do not always get the choice of when or how. I need to be ok with that.

My fear is that my personality and energy level always keep me from living up to my full potential. I have to overcome my weaknesses by daily looking at myself honestly, making good decisions about how to spend the rest of my time on this earth, and following through with what I know is the right thing to do.

The worst fear i have is losing my girlfriend Emma.. She's the one thing im my life thats amazing and i wouldn't cope if i lost her.. I dont think anything can stop me from worrying completely but i know that with her assurances that im not going to loser her anytime soon x

I am afraid to let go of my money, to give it away to people who need it far more than I do. I find it too easy to justify buying new things for myself or my family, but very hard to be generous giving it to the hungry, homeless and needy.

If I allow myself to think, then everything frightens me. Our life is so precarious, things change from one minute to the next. But we cannot live with this awareness; it paralyzes us. So we continue with good faith and prayer and hope for the best always.

Some would say my fear is the fear of succeeding, of being bigger than who I am. Staying the way that I am keeps me under the radar and keeps me away from criticism. The drama that I allow to unfold is a way to make things happen in my life. Keeping petty drama in my life allows me to not succeed. It is a successful plan for staying exactly the way that I am. I am afraid of conflict and thus that limits me from getting what I want. I want to confront all of my conflicts this year. Maybe not all but the simple ones. The little ones that keep drama going in my life. Paying bills on time, doing laundry, arriving on time to meetings. Being truthful with myself in a very simple manner "Is this something I really want to do. If it is then I should do it. If there is a conflict there step into it now so you can get to the side where I am doing what I want."

Fear of death. Fear of being alive but everyone thinks I'm dead. Had these fears for many years. Actually lived out the fear during a horrific experience while under anesthesia during surgery. Can't seem to get rid of the fears, but put them on the back burner every day and get on with life.

being tied down, restricted, denied freedom... being punished for bad past-karma... settling, centring into the perspective of 'life creative' rather than life being controlling. celebrating rather than fearing life.

My inability to be organized and to remember what I need to do. I'm constantly working on the best methods to help relieve this. Also, my tendency to get overwhelmed more easily but all that I am facing. Finally, I am still trying to adjust my relationship with work; one small victory - I made a mistake last week, but, for the first time, did not come home and mourn ove that error, making me believe I'm finally stating to put the importance of work, in relationship to the rest of my life, in perspective.

I have a fear of being found wanting, and it causes me a lot of distress and anxiety when I am faced with my own limitations. This affects everything from social situations, to having my picture taken, to even parenting my children. I get so upset with my kids when they reflect my own shortcomings back at me, or when I think about them being unhappy or unsuccessful as adults and it being my fault. This has been getting worse in recent years, so I will probably have to get some counseling to help me address the problem. Ultimately, I just need to learn to love myself and my imperfections, and let the rest go.

I have a fear that I wont do what I am supposed to. I have a fear I will never find that one person I am supposed to be with. I have a fear I will never be able to have children. I have a fear that I will never be happy.

Flying. It has stopped me from traveling, visiting friends and attending important functions. I have decided I am going to let this fear go! I am going to fly as much as I can and trust in myself to just enjoy the journey!

Last year my son was in the hospital - the I.C.U. His lungs shut down, and no one really knows what it was. Maybe swine flu? Maybe an infection from the construction we were doing? The hardest part is not having an answer and so not knowing how to prevent the same thing from happening. Cut to this scene - the dude has a cold. I try my best not to freak out, but did I help the situation spiral out of control last year because I did not take him to the doctor in time? Again - unsure. And trust me, I am not the kind of "helicopter" mom who freaks out over every scratch. But this kid nearly died last year, and I am scared. So, I actually missed services yesterday, Yom Kippur, because we were in the doctor's office. He just has a cold, but breathing treatments will start. Did I overreact? Or did I help prevent something worse? I just don't know. The fear is real and I'm not sure how irrational it may be. I don't know if I need to "overcome" it or just embrace it, and hover a little more than I normally would. And the self-analysis of it all just adds to the fear and paranoia. So, I can't let it go. I guess I can just keep going to the doctor.

I have a younger daughter who has special needs and who like my older daughter is very attached to me. I believe that she is very happy and safe with the organisation who look after her but, as I am of advanced years, I am worried how she will react when I no longer exist. On the one hand I fear that she may become unhappy and on the other hand I do not want her to add to the burden of my older daughter who loves her fiercely. I guess I can neither let it go nor overcome it but must learn to accept that she is at least safe where she is, that she has enough proven strength of character to handle the situation herself and that her older sister a person of great generosity heart and competence, who has already done so much good for her, will compensate by continuing to visit her and having her for visits

I plan on letting my silly fears of money go. I am getting married, we are together, no matter what has happened in my past this is OUR future and we will create a partnership.

Funny this should ask me this. I was thinking about it just today. I think my biggest fear is being judged incompetent. Or being judged rubbish on the basis of being scrawny/etc. Like I wouldn't voluntarily go out on a dance floor... or volunteer to act for anything. I'm much more comfortable hanging out in the background, doing what I do best. While that may be true... getting up on stage to speak, or to teach, is something that excites me no end. I think it's because there are no bodily movements required, apart from walking. You can let your words/voice do all the emoting. Nothing is required of your body. Currently I plan to completely cower in my fear, and hope to hell never to confront it.

i am realizing that i fear success (i wince when i get praise or accolades) i also fear not being stable, not having money my biggest fear is not ever fully realizing/manifesting who i am meant to be in this world

I'm scared that I'll die before I get anything done in my life. It limits me in that I make sure I have a path that I want to go on so that if I die, people will know that the intentions were there. I think I could find happiness in not choosing what my life will be, but my fear is prohibiting me from that.

I have been afraid of being too forceful. I have an abraisive personality, but I get so concerned about it that I end up always second guessing what I want to say and what I should say. I plan to stop overthinking and to start being more inclined to say what I want, not what I usually end up saying.

I still fear trying new things. I fear failure and therefore would like to do something to challenge that, maybe do the Teaching English in as a Foreign Language or join some study group.

I am limited both by my fear of success and my fear of failure. I am afraid to dive in and follow my passion, and I am worried about the consequences of not doing so.

What I fear right now is mostly not being accepted. I need to learn that what and who I am should not be a setback on my communicating with other people, I need to learn to let myself go and be myself around everyone.

Being myself, afraid to speak my mind. Also physical, in a group of people I don't know I become physical afraid having trouble breathing, getting paranoid. This has kept me from making friends very often. I'm always trying to convince myself it's just in my head; I have also tried sort of acting the part of confident young man, to trick myself into a comfort zone; but sometimes people don't like me when I do this, are intimidated. I need to find a happy medium.

I've always been concerned with making practical choices to ensure that I have enough money to support myself and those I love. I certainly don't regret this, but it has prevented me from taking certain risks that I think could have lead to great financial and personal rewards. This year, I'm going to open my mind more to the "risks" that actually offer great opportunities to honestly consider whether they're worth pursuing.

I can't talk to guys without feeling self conscious and awkward. I have no clue.

financial burdens son's involvement with certain friends/peer pressures I'll try to let go of that which I cannot control, and taking positive actions (through written goals) to help work toward positive changes in both areas.

I am afraid of failing, always have been. This year I am working towards accepting mistakes and viewing them as what they are, learning experiences.

I don't trust my self and that holds me back a lot, specially in class or in front of consultants when you really need to step up and show-case yourself. I'm planning on volunteering to do everything next year. Not in groups work of course, my stupid group can go hang it self, but for stuff that focuses on me as an individual. I'll learn more than even if the consultants embarrass me or make fun of me but I'll learn more than I am now.

I have a fear, a realistic fear, of not finding a good job and not having the money to pay bills and end up on the street. I'm sure a lot of people are feeling this way. I plan on overcoming it by finding employment that will take care of us.

My anxiety of not being liked by the ones I want to be liked by. And it is not just being liked, but feeling like I can't screw up or it is not OK for them to be upset when I am around them. I can't fix everything.

I am scared of what people think of me and of not being smart enough. I'm going to try and work on not caring so much what people think of me.

I am fearful of staggering personal debt, and the inability to bring it under control. Worse yet, I fear never reaching my personal, full potential.

If there is one fear, that keeps coming back to me and troubles me sometimes, is the fear of not being well in what I want to do and for what I am educated. Do I have enough different skills, am I creative enough, do I have the energy and courage just to do my job very well, will I love it in the end? Maybe it did not limit me so much the past years, but I could have done more cool stuff and meet more people if I did not let my fear be an obstacle. For example, perhaps I could have worked at the company where I am graduating now if I just went for it, be a bit more secure. Now I am probably too late as some one else will get the job, but I should have tried it, as I would not regret doing that and even for just checking if I got what they want, giving me some more confidence.

I have many fears, but I ultimately am afraid of being alone. I'm single, don't have kids, and am very close to (& live with) my mom. If something happens to her, I will have lost everything. That's why I'm trying to branch out (& will continue to do so in the future) & strengthen more relationships for myself with my half-sisters & my friends.

I don't think I am afraid. Mostly I wish for the very best for each of my three children, but I can accept what comes their various ways.

I fear not having sufficient funds when I retire. Given the economy and the devaluation of my savings, and the reduction in wage benefits and pay rate, I have no idea how I can avoid this.

I am afraid of death and illness. The fear of death is existential, complete, and deep, but does not come to me all that often. The fear of illness is more concrete as I am recovering from a chronic illness and also have aging parents who have had a variety of health crises. I plan to let it go the only way I know which is to try to enjoy life to the fullest and appreciate things as much as I possibly can. Lving in the present to the maximum as the only way to defeat existential and potential angst.

I have a fear of birds.. They frighten the hell out of me, and I just don't think I can overcome it!! On a deeper level I have a fear of not being in control. If I'm not in control I panic (and overreact). Examples of this are on a variety of different levels.. - I hate being in confined spaces where I would struggle to get out of if I needed to. - My trust in other people, as its out of my control what they do. - Getting old! (yes. I'm 19 and think about it). Nothing I can do to control that.. It's going to happen! And I despise the thought of it. - I'm always the winner ETC. I need to work out how this started, and try and work out a way to overcome it.. They say times a healer, hopefully when I'm reading this next year I will be able to say I've not been as control freakish this past 12m.

Oh, this is a tough one. I definitely have fear of... I think it's a fear of letting people down, and of being judged, and sometimes it leads me to just do *nothing* rather than do something and have it not be enough. I guess the way to get over it is baby steps. Doing a little something and letting it be *enough.* Trying a little harder and letting *that* be enough. And then also practicing letting some things go because I can't do everything.

I think that one of my fears is that I won't ever find someone that gets me. I have to really stop thinking like that because I will find someone who's on the same wavelength. Lenny told me that he loves me on the weekend... I'm in love with him too, I think he's the person I've been looking for. Well at least I hope he is.

Money, math, bugs, snakes. Get out the math book! Go to hypnotist to get over these silly fears which are debilitating.

My biggest fear other than losing my health is losing my boyfriend. I doubt that is going to happen, but since I don't have family I do rely on him a lot. I would like to try to utilize my synagogue more and perhaps find a friend or two.

I think I am afraid of being unwanted and alone. I'm afraid of messing up and not being excellent or the best. I think I just need to prove to myself that I can master something new (like my senate internship) and be able to remind myself of the things I AM good at. I also fear letting a big opportunity go, and I fear that I'll never be good enough to get to where I want to go in my life, and I fear that my best friend is making a huge change in her life in getting engaged. These fears make my entire personality different and limit my happiness every day. Deep breaths and trying to remember to let go and know that in the big picture, I have everything I need, and I will be OK.

throwing away stuff i don't use. one of the most tangible signs of my disordered mind is the clutter of a pack-rat: i don't enjoy living in my personal space; i don't have people over; it's a distraction from other pursuits. i'm not even sure what i'm afraid of. spending money to replace that item should it turn out i need it? accepting that i won't read that book or do that project ever? loss of pleasure at having just that right gadget or part when i can use it? how to overcome? i've had an organizer come in to my place. it was more difficult of a process than i expected. maybe i'll have them come in again. maybe i'll just do it this time?

Fear of financial insecurity, followed by actual financial insecurity. The recovery has begun. I teach acting, a career class for people working in the arts, private consulting sessions and I'm creating a series of new creative workshops. I plan on expanding these practices as well as launching a Blog called "Don't Just Stand There. Do Something," which shares the name of a book I have written designed to help people to become active in supporting the causes and dealing with the issues that are important or of concern to them. I plan to reach a wide audience with the blog in order to set the stage for the book.

2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Fear is the opposite of faith. I am filled with faith. It permeates every fiber of my being. I have been presented with many negative reports, mostly medical, and fear might seem be a natural response. It is not for me. I have no fear because I fully embrace 2 Timothy 1:7. I have not allowed fear to limit my vision for total wellness last year, this year and have not intention of allowing fear to impact my thoughts or feelings in the years to come.

The safety and health of my husband and son is part of my consciousness always...I put off making changes for fear of losing time with them. I feel similarly regarding my siblings and closest friends....I know life brings changes, but I fear those losses.... We are dying every second...if I keep the perspective of change in focus and concentrate on being in the moment with these precious people, that may help me lessen the anxiety associated with thoughts of losing them.

If I were to be honest with myself, it would be that I am really insubstantial. I think that moving to LA in a permanent state builds on that fear. I am going to actually invest my time and energy into LA. Another fear, is completely falling in love with Chris. I think our engagement will be the biggest test and if I overcome those are some good steps to letting go.

I have a fear of looking foolish, or stupid. This limits me in so many ways -- I don't feel comfortable making mistakes, and it puts a lot of pressure upon me. I want to learn to be less anxious and realize that the only person really judging me for these things is me.

I have had a great fear of leaving my kids alone with their dad for any longer than a few hours. I plan to go on a cruise this July 2011 for 3-5 days we will see how this turns out. Hopefully it will be a positive experience.

I have a fear of never getting out of debt. It has limited me because it discourages me from trying ad then I end up getting in more doubt. It keeps me from noticing new opportunities and it ruins my peace. I plan on overcoming it by getting two big debts out of my life by the end of 2011. And getting a summer job. Or two. I also have a fear of never falling in love and getting married. It limits me because I settle for less than love. I plan on letting it go by not thinking about it and continuing to focus on my career and financial goals.

What do I fear......failure for my kids I guess....but what is failure...they map out their own destiny, I just want to help them look far enough out into the world to see what is possible......I'm no hitch-hiker in the galaxy....but I hope what I have done has broadened their horizons and given them a chance to explore the world and to do something in it that is meaningful

I have a fear of what people think, that people are laughing at me. I think it's a minor form of social anxiety. When I'm with those I already know I'm fine and happy but when somebody new or someone I don't know entirely well comes along I tense up and probably appear quite rude and stuck up but relaly I'm just painfully shy. Even rinigng for a taxi or ordering at a restaurant I get nervous afraid that the person on the other end will judge me or yell at me. I don't know where it came from but I'd love to be a bit braver and try and get over it and just get to know people.

I am scared of letting people down, which means I stay later at work, do jobs I don't really want to, and don't always follow my heart, becoming resentful about it later. How do I plan to let it go? Hmm...

I am afraid of not accomplishing enough. It makes me accomplish less, really! I'd like to figure out how to set manageable goals for the very short-term, but also I'd like to just-- let go. What do I wish to accomplish these things for? In almost no cases, and certainly no cases where the things are hard, is there anything truly important to me at stake.

My greatest fear, it seems, is letting people in. I'm emotionally closed off and have been for so long that i don't remember how to do it. The very fact that i believe there is a "way to do it" concerns me. Cause chances are everyone just sort of has emotions and follows them no matter what. I think I'm just going to have to force someone into coming in. That's most of the problem. i can't imagine anyone really being interested in coming in for more than a visit. Although i have a good group of people i call my friends, each of them shares a fairly shallow relationship with me. Hmmm....if only i knew how to fix it. I'm a fixer. But you can't fix things that can't be defined.

I fear losing my job, with more money commitments than I've ever had. Hopefully over the next few month when I've settled in more I can feel a bit more confident in my job security, but at the moment while the job is still fresh, I do not.

Fear of rejection, failure and disapproval. I need to get on with that. I need to stop caring so much about what people think of me and my actions!

I fear singing in front of people, because I'm worried others won't think I sound as good as I hope (think!) I do. I should start by singing in the car or shower.

I am afraid to be social, to the point where I cancel doing things with friends and hurt their feelings, or never contact them for months and hurt their feelings. I am afraid that they will find me boring, or not worth spending their time on.

For once, I don't have a fear that really cripples me. I have little fears here and there, sure, but none that I can't handle. I can only hope to keep this up.

I suffer from a deep sense of "not being OK" - which leads to feelings of insecurity and a lack of confidence. I don't plan on "fixing" this life-long pattern per se - but just getting better at not letting those feelings influence my choices and the scope of my dreams.

I'm scared of letting myself feel so much for someone that I get hurt again. I was hurt badly in 2006 and since then I know I want that kind of relationship again, but I'm terrified to let myself get that close to someone in case they decide I'm not good enough for them. The first part to overcoming this is teaching myself that I am good enough - without coming off as being ego-centric. I guess other than that I just need to really take risks and be willing to believe that not all guys are jerks.

Without a doubt, I am most fearful of my husband dying. I worked on this fear last year and gained some perspective. However, it still drives my choices and thoughts. If my self directed work fails to work, I plan to seek professional help in the coming year.

I'm afraid of failure and being rejected. I don't really let it limit me, except I don't flirt because I don't want to be rejected. I'm going to lose weight so I'm more confident, and I'll hopefully be less scared.

I fear rejection. It limits the way I expose myself - I don't share my creativity or ideas very freely. I keep my writings to myself and prevent myself from planning on their success, assuming they will be rejected by the public, my audience, an editor, or even friends or family. The only way to overcome this is to produce and put it out there. Offer my ideas in meetings. Write on my blog. Write in my works and get something out there to see that rejection isn't really that awful. That effort is worth it even if ultimately the work is rejected.

I fear no one will ever love me again so I stay with the wrong people. In the last few months, a cancer scare moved me to open up to others in a way I haven't done since my husband's death.

I am scared of losing my independence and self confidence in a relationship. I am happy and probably more secure in who I am than I have ever been before, and I'm worried that that all might change if I have my heart broken again. I know deep down that I have to let myself risk that if I want to be in a relationship again. I know that I need to continue to do what scares me if I am going overcome that fear in the coming year.

Not being smart. That is such a debilitating fear that I can't seem to overcome fully, and this is a life time process. I overcome it each day, and plow through things that I am afraid of, so I have no problems with getting things accomplished, learning new things, changing, and challenging myself. But, behind all of this is a base which cannot believe that I am smart enough. It does not allow me to relax, and relaxation breeds creativity and strength. So I limit myself in this way. It is a process, but I will try to let this go and trust myself and my intellect in the coming year.

I fear to change and to stay in my current job. If I leave will I regret it ? If I stay will that be boring? Am I boring? How will I feel about it in 5,, 10, 50 years?

I've lived my whole life constrained by fear, especially fear of making a mistake. I have managed to reduce that fear substantially, but perhaps to a degree that will backfire - it is one thing to seek out new opportunities, reinvent yourself, take a risk, yet end up out on the street. It is quite another thing to become so complacent that you end up on the street because you 've lost your fear and just don't care.

I have a huge fear that I will not be able to do as well at my new job as I need to. And I know this fear is holding me back. So maybe I have a huge fear that I will not be able to overcome my fears!

I dont know if this is a fear - but I have had so much grief over the past couple of years. I guess I fear more grief and loss. I would like some joy. I need to be active in trying things that I think will bring joy.

I'm scared of ending up unhappy and alone. I just want to be happy with myself. I'm content with myself. I've never really minded being on my own or having a night to myself and a book. But in the long run, loneliness isn't something I want. I'm still figuring out how to overcome it.

I am fearful of some of the obstacles on the mountain biking trail we go on. This fear slows me down. In the coming year I will go over and through these obstacles.

I fear not being good enough in many respects. I hope to feel more confident about myself and appreciate how awesome I really am!

I am always afraid of not doing enough, of letting people down... so I do too much. I am afraid of my inability to stay in control financially... I am planning to get back to basics. Keep a check book register, weekly check ins to my online accounts, and taking a moment to think about it before I committ my time, my attention or my money to anything.

A fear I have is that somehow I do not find the way to make my place in the world. It's been a number of years that I have kept my nose to the grindstone because of previous decisions that were not beneficial to the financial side of my life. Being diligent in correcting past mistakes are important and they sometimes take more time than we might expect. I fear a little that time is passing me by and I know it is not to be wasted. I have not lost faith in myself or the possibility of what I am to do. I will keep pressing on and look for the right opening to begin an improved path.

The fear of failure has stopped me achieving all my life. I plan to tackle any challenge 100% and not worry about the outcome, just enjoy the journey

I have been afraid of not having a rewarding life after age 60. I plan on making the most of the next 2 years to assure myself of that not happening!

I am afraid of leaving this world, dying, before I accomplish my goal. My goal is to make a difference in people's life, to achieve social justice and work on tikkum olam. A large part of this fear is that my work will be unrecognized. I can easily work on the first part. As a social worker, I work with disempowered people on helping them help themselves to resolve their issues. However, since there are so many disempowered poor people, the little bit of work that I do doesn'tmake a dent in reducing the oppression of the large number of people who are marginalized.

I have a fear of making the wrong decision. I spend inordinate amounts of time making decisions, and this has also limited me in my leadership skills. At the same time, I would like to slow down, think before I speak and then speak confidently, but I don't have a plan for that.

I'm afraid of failing in all my plans and goals. If I what I'm putting my self into doesn't work, I will be left with anything but sorrow. Also in the bigger picture, I'm afraid of life not being worth all the effort. We, simple, small, and naive people think we can change the world and help others... but in the end we are just wasting energy and hope in a world that is already set up and won't change after all.

I'm afraid that I've been out of the 9 to 5 for so long, I won't be as effective and efficient as I was prior to this long period of unemployment. I'm hoping for a temporary no-brainer job or p/t job so I can raise my self-confidence.

I have a fear of letting go. I am a recovering control freak, and a friend just told me about how a child never approaches her father worried about how her needs will be met. She approaches her father *expecting* that this will be the case. Therefore, so shall I approach my Father!

I have encountered a lot of fear in the last two things I mentioned (expanding my business, and running for an AA service position). I've reached a point where letting it go is no longer a good option. My only answer is to dive in on Faith, and leave the results to my Higher Power.

I have always been terrified that somebody in my life will give up, and that there could have been something else I could have done. This fear has me catering to the needs of those around me and ignoring my own.... I need to figure out how to balance.

Sex. I need to get past the fear and enjoy it again. It limits my relationship with Ben. There is nothing there to be afraid of, I need to just learn to enjoy it again.

I have a lot of fears, some serious and then some silly. For me, I think the one that affects me the most would be my fear of losing the people around me. It could be to anything really – losing them to change, to illnesses, to other peole, to the arguments we have. It gets so horrible sometimes that I’d stand up for my own opinion, then immediately shoot myself down an hour later because I wouldn’t want to risk losing our friendship. I want to learn to care more about myself – compromise is okay, but giving in to the point where I’m constantly having to sacrifice my wellbeing, etc, is not. Maybe, in the coming year, I’ll finally realize that people come and go, and that, that is okay.

I have a fear of failure, I find it hard to commit to things as I believe that sooner or later everything will go wrong and i'll be left with nothing. This is limiting me as I am scared to become too involved in photography in case I find I am not good enough at it to be successful. I have been able to make steps toward banishing this as my cousin has booked me to do her wedding photography in May, something I am hugely passionate about and it gives me a focus and timeline to learn as much as possible and gain the experience I need.

I used to be afraid of being alone, and it was only when I overcame that fear that I found a wonderful man and truly opened myself up to being in a healthy relationship. Currently I am afraid that I am becoming (or already am) invisible in my family. My gut reaction is to distance myself further to avoid more pain but I can see that this is not the right course of action. Ignoring my Mum only hurts me more as she grows closer to my sister. I need to find a way to cope with the feelings rather than constantly react to them by hitting out or withdrawing.

I fear taking the steps I need to take in order to make my life the way that I want it. I do not want to spend the rest of my life working in a cubicle. I have a lot of ideas - so many that I am overwhelmed when it comes to when and how to start creating my future. I need to make up my mind and pick a direction and take things one step at a time. All I really need to do is stop procrastinating and MAKE A MOVE.

I have always been afraid of my fiance leaving me, or me leaving him, or something catastrophic happening in our relationship. We have been together for nearly 5 years, and are about to get married, and I think it's time for me to let go of my fear and start trusting that we'll make things work.

Wow. It used to be that I was afraid of changing jobs, but I accomplished this in the last year. I am not sure how to answer this question at this point in my life. Perhaps that is something I should examine over the next year and develop a plan and answer by this time next year!

I am afraid of failing. To avoid failing I try to ignore my problems until they go away instead of dealing with them because I feel like this is better than making the wrong choice. It's not. I need to get over it. I am also afraid of calling strangers on the phone. This is severely limiting and when I do need to make calls it causes much undue stress. I also need to get over this, I have no problem speaking to strangers face to face, it's just the phone that really freaks me out. Again, I need to get over it.

I have a fear of ditching my safe 1st job and diving out into a different job field that would include constant effort and the possibility of greater rewards. I spoke of it last year but have still yet to 'take the leap.' I have allowed the mass media fear mongering have influence on my career and so I cling to whatever grip I have, though it is obvious I am holding on to a sinking ship. I know I have learned all I have to learn here. I plan on speaking with mentors, creating a plan and will make my risk more calculated in my favor. It is time to hunt. I have only scratched the surface of what I have available to me and I sense there is a big reward should I traverse the wilderness. I must become more action prone by fueling myself with a focus on my purpose and passion.

I keep needing to take more risks, personally and professionaly.

I fear exposure, I like to do my work, my goodnesses without being on the spot, I am god at what I do, but I do not like to be representing something in front of an audience, a crowd... This limits me on my own self confidence, or vice versa, maybe this is a lack of SC... I want to trust more myself, and leti it go of thoughts like "what people will think" "how do I look doing this" "what would be the thoughts of people when I am doing ..." Probably this will have to do with me enjoying purely and without intention what I am doing, not having expectations on the outcome, but doing my best!

Im not 'fearful as much as lazy and procrastinating. I would like to find more motivation to do more with every day. I would like to let go of past wounds and toxic people. I think I rely too much on the past to direct my future and I would like to change that.

I have an incredible fear of snakes. There is no way to overcome this fear. I've tried my whole life. I have a fear of flying. The dichotomy of this fear is that I love to travel. Should the opportunity arise to fly again, I'll meet the fear again head on. I fear judgment by my District Manager. She claims to be supportive, and in most cases she is. I know she has a genuine affection and respect for me. However, all too often, I receive blame for financials for which I am not responsible. I believe that she herself is overloaded and I receive the fallout. More confidence on my part will alleviate this fear. And I suffer from obsessive anxiety disorder. I hope to see myself released of it. But I live in fear of the disorder itself. Having a history of mental health issues in my family, I worry that I will become unstable and crash.

I fear truly loving someone and letting them love me. It has kept me from having an intimate relationship for several years now, and puts up an invisible wall between me and people I'd like to get to know better even if just as friends. I am going to focus on being more positive about myself and taking more chances, and not taking it personally if someone doesn't respond to me that way I want them to.

I think the fear of being "let go" or fired has weighed heavily on me. In some ways, I've hoped for it because the threat is so imposing. But the truth is that if I did get fired it would be a big financial strain on the family. Two college tuitions is not easy to confront even when you make as much as we do. My fear though does not increase my chances of retaining my job. I need to gain confidence that my job is secure and that if I did get let go there would be plenty of opportunity for me to replace my income. The other lingering fear though is that I just turned 50, an age at which, in this industry, you're really back-burnered.

Fear of poverty - or not so much poverty, as diminished means. We did well, perhaps a little too well, 10 years ago. We got used to a certain lifestyle and a certain level of income. All of that has changed dramatically in the last couple of years. I don't know that there's a plan to letting it go, other than just 'letting go'. I am past my prime income years, I've accepted that. Just trying to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate the new normal.

My fear is a very real fear that my Type 1 diabetes will literally be the death of me. I've had it for 16 years, and I have always been what people call a "brittle" diabetic. Never had good blood sugar control, no matter how hard I try or how right I do things. My fear is that it will take my sight, my sensation, my life, etc. The only thing I can do is listen to my doctor and try to live each day to the fullest.

I would love to overcome my crippling shyness and my fear of letting people into my life because a lot of the time it prevents me from having fun and forming close relationships.

Pursuit of a relationship. I might as well just jump in the deep end of the pool . It is time. It's simple.

I don't really have any fear that limits me.

I am so nervious about my new job. I feel like I'm not going to be good enough or smart enough. I'm going to be my own boss and that is scary. No one to go to if I have questions. I'm scared that I'm going to screw up....big time.

I fear I am going to go bankrupt before I find a new job. This has limited the amount of things I do that I enjoy doing (hobbies, decorating my house, new cooking equipment to try new recipes, etc.). I feel guilty when the money could be going to pay more on my credit cards. I am working hard to find a new job so I can start digging myself out of this hole I've created. Once I have a job I have already created a firm budget with percentages instead of amounts since I don't know what my new salary will be and plan to stick to it once. My goal is to be credit card debt free within 18 months.

Of just being me. Saying what I truly think, or at least being silent and not compromising myself. I I have missed opportunities because of not standing up for what I believe. I resolve to stand up and be me, in a simple, humble yet strong way.

I fear I am socially awkward. I believe I am and it limits my ability to make new friends. I fear that I turn people off by seeming insecure or saying meaningless things.

Fear of failing in my writing perhaps? That has to go. Fear of talking with my husband in full on naked honesty. Needs to be worked on.

I fear failure. I fear that i am never good enough. I was gaining confidence in myself at my job before a political uproar caused me to leave. I have a fresh start and need to prove to myself that i am good at what i do.

I have a serious fear of people. People I don't know. People who think they know me but haven't seem me since I was less than 10 years old. I don't know why, but when I am in a room full of people I don't know or even do know but it is more than 3 people I start to shake and feel cold and as much as I try and want to say something, I just can't manage to open my mouth. I don't know why, but I do know it will hold me back in my career if I can't get over, get past, or learn to manage it.

I fear that I won't find any compatible lover/partner because of how difficult I am. I'm going to practice more lovingkindness and acceptance. AND stop being so difficult.

I constantly fear that I am letting people down, or that the products of what I do are disappointing to others. While I would like to keep the fire in my belly to always do my very best, I would really like to eliminate the stress and worry leading up to every big project I complete. (and the feeling of guilt if I don't have that nervous stressful feeling).

I'm afraid of going to the dentist and finding out I need expensive procedures I can't afford. I'm going to have to go eventually.

I really must get over my fear of spiders. I feel constantly on guard, checking bedroom and bathroom upon entering each time. I would also like to overcome my fear and uncertainy of driving to new places. I'm afraid of getting lost in traffic, becoming distracted and being in or causing an accident. I tend to panic inside when I miss a turn or am lost. Having the GPD has helped a lot. I need to get more comfortable in programing it. I think the night driving in rain is, actually, something to avoid. I just cannot see well enough. This limits my activities, but I can accept that for safety.

I have fear to the failure, i don't think that limits my life, I think makes try harder and harder to become better in my life

Lately I've been letting go of my fear that I'm not cool enough. That may sound like I'm about twelve years old, but a lot of my social anxiety boils down to just that. This year I'm going to accept my uncoolness ... without letting my appearance totally go, of course!

I have a fear of driving. It stems from my easy dis-tractability, poor depth perception and an inability to remember locations. I am trapped at home until my husband is willing to go somewhere I need or would enjoy going to. I plan on taking accompanied short drives, then going solo.

i have a fear of talking to strangers. i can't talk on the phone to a stranger, i can't order pizza, i even take a lot of time to reassure myself before i order from a counter or just to even ask for sauce. i don't plan on letting it go because it makes me feel secure that i'm insecure like that.

Nope.

I fear that my new business venture will not pan out. I have devoted a significant amount of time over the past 18 months to it. It would be a disappointment. I am always ready to learn from the experience as a way of mitigating the fear.

I've had a fear of not getting there, for a while now, which is ironic because I then take on a lot that ensures I won't get there. The "there" is in part about writing and about really making a difference in the world. Well, not ironic because it's entirely predictable actually. It's just wasteful and self-defeating. I'm setting lists out for myself. Taking smaller steps to set the wheels in motion. Taking the bull by the horns rather than waiting for conditions to somehow magically be "right". And I hope I can stick to those plans.

I have social phobias. I find it very uncomfortable to be in certain settings. This year I hope to learn more skills to deal with my fear. One thing that I know that I will be practicing is to try to live in the moment and social events. I will try not to bring past and future moments in to the moment happening at the time.

fear to live the life that I deserve! send to me to therapy to get over it. I'm going to let it go, by loving me more, to know me more, to aceppt me more because I deserve everything in this life!

Failure. The anxiety involved with trying to do everything perfectly is overwhelming sometimes.

After my divorce in '95, I've realized that I'm terrified of failing again... at anything. As a result, there have been opportunities in the last 15 years that I've let go by me because I was afraid they wouldn't work out. This has to stop.

I feel I am fairly courageous when it comes to fearful things, at least this is the feedback I get from family and friends. I usually look fear in the eye and head full force in to it. However, if there is one thing I could say I fear right now, it would be the fear of change. It's not the actual change that I am afraid of, it's the result from the change that makes me leary. Especially now that I'm a father the decisions I make affect now my wife & son. Change can affect income and lifestyle, and those things seem to become less flexible as your family starts to grow. When it comes down to it, I guess being the sole income provider for my family puts a lot of pressure on any decisions of change. This fear is even greater in me than before because of the business we started and ended last year, which had such a huge impact on us and still does.

the fear that has limited me is about my marriage. I'm afraid to stay in it and afraid to get out of it. But I am slowly slowly learning to be more myself -- to naturally allow my needs to come to the surface and show themselves. Then I can truly see what does or does not meet my needs.

After being in an abusive relationship (and escaping it), I am afraid to let another man into my heart. I avoid intimacy. Maybe in the next year I can let that go. I have no idea how I am going to get that to happen.

My fear is that I'll grow old and regret my choice. I try to think too far ahead. If I live for right now with a "live fast, die young" mentality the way I do, I think I'll regret my decision in a couple years. I think if I slow way down and focus just on school or work or being a perfect person I'll regret not living my life to the fullest. For now I'm sticking with Live fast, Die young. It's fun. It's now. It's life and feeling and a constant fresh breathe of air.

Fear of being alone. This is the big one. Maybe I have to overcome it by being alone for a while?

Hmmm this is a tricky one. Cot death. I'm working on that one daily and doing okay with help from GP. Fear of missing out on my son's development when he is away from me. For pragmatic reasons, I have to deal with that one and by striking a good work life balance I hope that it won't be too big an issue.

My biggest fear is that the business will collapse, putting at risk all I hold dear. I don't think it's very likely, but it's my only real worry. Fix it by keeping on keeping on. Working hard. Making sure clients pay the bills. Chasing every piece of work. Committing to every piece of work.

My ultimate fear is that I am nothing; that I'm a nobody. That I will die lonely with no pride to my name. That I can't accomplish anything or that I can't be anything more than the 6 billion plus people in this world. I want to bring more meaning in my life. I will pick up on the smaller things that make me happy: playing the piano, drawing, running, climbing mountains, playing with my cousins, going for walks and ending it with going on the swings at the park, playing old school Nintendo 64 (Mario Cart), or even gardening in my mom's vegetable garden. I will not let these little enjoyable moments go unnoticed. I will make it a priority to do these activities more often. I will not let school or work make my life meaningless and get in the way of the things that I want to do. Above all, I'm so terribly afraid that I will not go to heaven. I hope that I can maintain my spiritual and personal connection that I have built on my religion this year, and I hope that it doesn't die out. I hope that I will find more meaning into praying and won't think of it as a chore, but rather as unloading weight off my shoulder and cleansing my soul of gathered sins.

I have the fear of loosing all my income. It is very difficult to overcome this fear. I can only try to tell myself that I have overcome the last years of difficulties and I will overcome this year. And I can tell myself I should go on working on and with my talents as I do know that my fears and depressions grow if I forget my real aims resp. goals in life: to become a published author. I can only help others well if I do not forget myself. I often procrastinated my work because of the fact that I faced difficult situations. But people have been writiers during war times, within personal crisis, while imprisoned - so why should I not write in my situation?

One of my fears is that no one will ever notice me and I'll just go through high school without having any "best friends" and it makes me contain my actual crazy-ness from the world. I am defenetly going to try to just be myself- as outgoing and loud as it may be- and try to make friends who like me of me. I never want to look back on high school and say, "darn, i wish i could have..." I just want to be able to say, "wow, those were some great memories!" I wish to be forever happy in whatever I do.

I have feared leaving the safety of my staff job for the scary freelance world. Since I was laid off in June, I have been out in the freelance world at last. I lucked into my first gig and am now still here more than 3 months later. I now have the chance to make more money, meet new people and produce better projects. I must overcome my fear of being out there and hustling for work for myself.

I'm afraid of hurting other people's feelings to the point that I don't stand up for what I want or need. I don't know if this is a fear that I can ever overcome, or that I even want to. I've led a "head down, mouth shut" life so far, and I try my best to keep out of trouble. But the feeling of being a doormat is getting tedious...

I have had the fear of asking for time to myself. I always feel guilty that I am not spending time with my kids or my partner. I need to learn that time alone will allow me to be with them more fully.

I think I have a fear of rejection, and this has held me back because I have put off doing things where I might experience rejection, even though they would move me forward as well. I plan to work on this and to believe the encouragement and support of my future wife and family

I continue to be afraid of everything, but I also continue to push back. I need to push harder.

I'm so afraid of not getting everything done that I freeze up and actually get LESS done than if I didn't worry so much about it. I NEED to overcome that.

Fear of presenting, especially in business settings. While I have very good understanding of the mechanics of a compelling presentation, my anxiety issues cause me to "go blank." I plan to overcome this by attending Toastmasters and other presentation skills classes. I also need to address my insecurities from an emotional perspective. Need to find a way to just frigging relax!

The fear I have is that my new business will completely fail and that by year end, I wont have the money to continue into year two. I intend to plan plan plan and I intend to proceed, that is how I will overcome my worst fear

I carry with me a fear that I will never find the sense of community for which I yearn. I would love to feel like I shared my life with a communion of souls who cared about me as much as I cared about them, and invested our time in each other. I would love to have a group of women with whom I felt I truly connected and I know that the only way that will exist is if I create it. I will invest in a group of like-minded people that I can get to know and develop a mutual appreciation and concern. I'm tired of feeling alone and misunderstood. I want to feel supported on a consistent basis. I also desperately wish I had a better relationship with mom and dad and Daniel. I would like to find a relationship that I can be comfortable with where we are sharing time together. I don't want them to die without me having a relationship with them.

I think my fear is always hurting someone's feelings, or saying/doing something and looking stupid. Because of this, I have held back from having some experiences because I'm more worried about how other people feel more so than myself. I need to just say what I feel and do what comes to me, be a little more free spirited. Of course, don't hurt anyone's feelings, but don't hold back from what I feel as much, either. I believe if I get out more, meet new people, get myself out of my comfort zone, I will be able to open myself up more, and it will help, I think.

I fear missing opportunities. To connect with family, to enjoy my partner, to create and learn, to travel. I plan to let go of these fears by aligning my intentions, words and actions.

I'm scared of driving. I've put it off for years and years, and this year is the one. I'll get my license and my freedom to take myself wherever I like.

The fear that has limited me the most is breaking past my own expectations. I have my own expectations of how things are going to go, and once that's set in my mind, it's hard for me to move past or around them, even if it means moving on to better things. It's the same fear that almost kept me from taking this important year off from school. I don't know if I'll ever be able to articulate a plan for overcoming this fear, but it will definitely be something I work on.

I'm afraid of my parents dying before I've had a chance to become the adult I really need to be. I want to make strides more quickly to become self-sufficient, healthy, focused, strong.

I think fear holds me back. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of success - just fear. And I need to work through it and take more risks.

Fear of failure very often freezes me, causing me to fail. Instead, I hope to simply jump in, fail, get up and jump in again.

I fear myself. I don't yet know my unplumbed depths, my strength, weakness, love. I have never been truly scared, and I want to be a beacon unto myself and my God.

I am afraid of not reaching/employing my potential. In my career and artistically. It haunts me. I hope to get my passport, soon. That's the start.

I am a loner so I guess I am scared of being social and and having friends. My goal is to over come this and to be a better friend, a better neighbor and a better member of both the Jewish and larger community.

I am terrified I'll never find love again. Perhaps because of that fear, I get terrified when I feel like I might be in a 'date' situation - terrified that it'll turn out not to work out, that I'll be disappointed. So I avoid putting myself in that situation. So.... that's not helpful. I want to work on this in therapy. And on acceptance. I am fine, right now, just as I am. If I never find a new relationship, I'll be OK. The more I accept that, the easier it'll be to relax and just enjoy the company of new people who might turn out to be special to me.

Fear of not being seen. fear of not being liked. it's limited me because i exhaust myself trying to make sure everyone is happy with me. which is why it ends up less exhausting being alone. i suppose the fear is that i will crumble if i am not perfect. i plan to not do things 150% from now on. i will get things done and leave off the last 50% of perfection even and see what happens. if i fail at stuff, so much the better, because i will see that i have survived. the desire to live every aspect of life perfectly leads to the least satisfactory life possible. i hope to really realize this and internalize this this year. exemplified by the speed with which i am answering my 10Q answer right now. a taste of who i am will be shared. not the best taste. not the best prose. but a memory of me nonetheless. :) xx

A fear of intimacy and a fear of people barging into my home unannounced( and life ) and staying without asking ( which they have done in the past ). I kept my home cluttered to keep people out and away. I have and am setting up boundaries and will invest in a clutter coach.

I have a fear of getting myself into situations in which I am not in control of my safety or well being. I need to learn to let go more and trust that life will carry me through. I will try to breathe more, trust more and live more in the moment.

Fear that life will never change. I want life to be an adventure. Not something I have to endure.

I can't tell you what exactly it is I'm afraid of, but I've really been having some anxiety problems lately. The eating, the freaking out over just walking by my psych professor outside the UCC, and then five times worse when he took my test, asked me how I did, and told me that I had some great things to say on CourseDen. And then I saw Rob after, which didn't help calm me down. I don't know what it is, social anxiety, my unconscious, or what, but I hope I can learn to work with it better while still feeling like myself. I'm not asking for perfection or happiness, I'd actually rather have things stay the way they are than have something boring like that. Or is that possible, to be bored and happy, I don't know. I'm sure there's lots of things I should let go of, and when the time comes hopefully I can find the strength.

I have a fear of being rejected or made fun of. I believe that this has kept me from becoming who I really would like to be and doing things that I would love to try. I haven't thought of a plan as of yet...but one step at a time.

I fear that I'm boring and unexciting, which is totally irrational. I know I'm not either, so I just have to trust that yes, people like me for me, and everybody probably thinks they're boring at some point. I plan to be more confident and be the coolest me I can be. Nobody can ask for more than that.

i've been fearful that i'll never find a life mate or have a child. the odds get worse as i get older. however, i plan to take matters into my own hands by planning to have a child solo. i also hope to put my energies into meeting people because i think that i am ready and available to be a committed partner.

I'm a person, like my family, that always wanted to pay my debts. Along with tens of millions of Americans, I no longer can do that. I HATE IT. But I'm going to have to try to accept the fact in the coming year, and try to make a new start.

Self doubt and criticism... being judgemental of others. I want to always think positive.

I fear saying the wrong thing, or being percieved as someone that isn't "smart." I hope that in engaging in activities that I enjoy and stimulating my personal growth this will make me more confident and less anxious about being judged.

I think that I have too many fears....my fear of Ruben leaving to go home to Bolivia has kept me from appreciating him the way he deserves and enjoying his time and our time together. I want to change that. I also think the fear that my life will go in a totally different direction is holding me back from trying to take the path I had chosen for myself before I moved. I need to step out of my barrier and comfort zone and work on what I need to.

After a very hurtful and dissapointing experience I decided to keep my heart from being in a meaningful relationship again. I was scared about having to go through the same pain. Now, even though its been alot of time since that happened, I have been able to overcome most of that fear but there is still that part of me that cant let go of it. This new year I will learn to open my heart once more, it will be a slow process but little by little I will be able to come back to my old unwound self. Im still scared but I know that sooner or later I must take that step, so why dont we do it now?

I'll never get my shit together - I'm destined to be miserable. Working constantly on that.

I have a fear that while I am apparently warm and charming, in the depths I am truly unloveable in any sort of sustainable way. I've met someone very special, and he and I are both going to work hard to build our relationship so that it can last and be very strong. The very fact that we are willing to put this effort in, I think, will prove that I am capable of having a healthy and happy relationship! And the bonus is - I get to be with him!