I’m 40 years old and I never finished college because I let the fear of stuttering hold me back. Don’t be like me. Go for everything you want in life regardless of stuttering. I promise you, you will be much happier if you do. There will be some difficult moments but so what? That’s nothing new. You’ll probably face some challenges you didn’t expect. It’s a good thing, even if it sometimes feels like a terrible thing. It’s through challenges and even suffering that we grow and become stronger. Similarly the opposite occurs when you go the other way. If you let fear control you, it will only sink its hooks in deeper and deeper as time goes on. Making it that much harder to rid yourself of it. When fear turns into bitterness and resentment, that’s when things go from bad to worse. When the regrets start piling up, its like walking through quicksand. You don’t want this feeling in your life. Don’t let it happen to you. Your goals, dreams, and ambitions, whatever they may be, are just as valid and worth pursuing as anyones. You’ll undoubtedly experience some embarrassing moments. But it’s not going to kill you. It’s not going to physically damage you at all. It’s going to test your mental fortitude. And maybe sometimes you’ll fail that test. But it’s ok to fail. In fact, it’s good to fail because that means you’re trying. And when you’re trying, you’re improving, growing, living a life worth living. And that’s really what it’s all about. Its not about the people around you and it’s not about stuttering either. It’s about you and how you feel about yourself. It’s impossible to maintain a positive, healthy view of oneself while running away from challenges. Embrace the challenges. Take the hard path. Accept that sometimes things are going to be uncomfortable. Learn from your failures, celebrate your accomplishments. Live the life you want to live. Stuttering is just one piece of you. It’s not even the most significant piece. Stuttering has no business deciding the outcome of your life.