I was a severe stutterer for most of my childhood and into adulthood. I was embarrassed about it and assumed it would be a turnoff for girls. From about age 12 I was warned I would be unemployable except to dig ditches. Still I wanted to have fun, have a girlfriend, be able to earn a living, etc. So despite my embarrassment, shyness, and reluctance to reveal the severity of my stuttering I spoke up. It was really hard, made me extremely anxious but I did it anyway. I went to one or two dances most weeks, and I asked about ten girls to dance at each dance, starting about age 16. Actually, there was a one-off at our 8th grade dance, boys & girls at opposite walls, and I was the only guy to walk across that vast ocean to ask a girl I liked for a dance. But eventually I started asking out girls I met, and I had three or four long term girlfriends between from age 18 to 26. Strangely stuttering did not seem to be a turnoff for girls. I met my wife 61 years ago at a dance. She’s a fabulous woman and still loves me. I decided in college that I wanted to be a doctor. Some people pointed out the logic of how you can’t become a doctor if you stutter. I believed them, but I could not imagine anything else I’d love as much, so I just did the things you’d need to do if you were to become a physician. In college we had to take an elective, so I chose psychology, which I knew nothing about. It was awesome, and I decided I wanted to be a psychiatrist. Naturally, some people told me I can’t. You know, “because...” this or that. They didn’t even need to say the words, I’d heard it so often. Nevertheless, I did what was needed; I worked hard and applied to medical school. To my surprise, I was accepted into medical school. There I met a classmate who stuttered also and who soon graduated summa cum laude (first in his class). Despite his still stuttering (not as bad as mine) he later became a full professor of medicine after becoming among the pioneers in the new field of neuro-ophthalmology. Despite his stuttering, which became milder with success and age, he lectured all over America and the world. But enough about him and his being respected and loved by patients, colleagues & medical students (did I mention despite that he stuttered?). In medical school, of course, there were people who quite logically (I felt) explained why I can’t become a psychiatrist. Then after completing medical school and being accepted into a 3-year training program in psychiatry, I was told by several experts that I won’t be able to have a private practice, understandably because I stuttered. At completion of my training, I took a 2 week course at Harvard Medical School on how to pass the Board Certification exams. There were about 60 of us, and we were told that two of us could volunteer to practice in front of everybody, examining a mock patient (acted out by an experienced psychiatric nurse), so we could strut our stuff in front of all of us. I realized I'd be up on stage interviewing the mock patient showing off my knowledge, skills -- and stuttering. How could I pass up such an opportunity to embarrass myself. (and to experience something close to the real exam situation)? I was extremely anxious, but I did it, I stuttered a lot but I did well. And five months later I passed the real Board Certification Exam. I started my private practice of psychiatry immediately and soon had so many patients that I was able to hire one of my colleagues to work with me. At the start I did worry whether patients would not continue with me when they heard me stutter. To my surprise some patients were pleased to hear me stutter, explaining that they felt that if I could achieve what I had despite my stuttering, then surely I could help them achieve despite their problems. And I did. I put aside my worry about what the patients would think of me and my stuttering, and I focused on figuring out how best to help the patients. By focusing helping them, and worrying much less about my stuttering, I relaxed, was much less anxious, more helpfuls and more confident. XAnd I stuttered less. You know how this ends, right? A very happy and successful life. The same is possible for you. Live your life as if the stuttering mostly doesn't matter, because that's how it mostly is. That's the real logic.