F ea r - an intensely unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm. I recently started reading a book titled, "Welcome Home" by Najwa Zebian and one paragraph deeply resonated with me. It says, "One of the most defeating forms of self oppression - to know you have power, but not to use it. To know you have a voice, but not to speak. To know you are in the wrong place, but stay where you are. To know you have so much potential but not use it. I think its safe to assume that the reason behind these forms of self oppression is simply fear. The paragraph resonated with me because I have a lot of irrational fears that cause me to miss out on a lot of things. After reading the paragraph, I had a playback of all the missed opportunities because I was scared to speak up. At times, I am my own enemy. I often overlook my own potential and succumb to my fears. However, its a new year and that needs to stop! I have been a slave to my fears for many years now, I al...