High School is a fundamental part of every individual’s life experience. Trends, opinions, bandwagons; all the many influences that sink into the core of a person’s being. Why is it that in the year of 2026, teenagers are still being consumed by the fear of embarrassment? Kids who are controlled by fear, turn into adults who lose the quality within their own life.
Fear has the power to block a person from a whole new life. What if by taking that risk, you land the new job? What if you got the lead in the musical? What if that person feels the same way about you? There have been countless times in my life where I have witnessed a friend of mine open up about wanting to try something new, but refusing to take that leap of faith because they’re afraid of embarrassing themselves. How does one plan on achieving anything in this lifetime, if they are unwilling to stretch themselves to reach this new level. What many teenagers feel is the main roadblock when it comes to attempting new things, is the fear of being perceived. In high school, teenagers are overly hyper conscious of what others think about them, leading to the fear of making a fool out of themselves in front of others. Why let the false beliefs of others, dictate a person’s life and their choices. Are you living to please others? Or are you living to fulfill yourself?
How can teens overcome this fear of embarrassment before it consumes their life permanently? One thing that has helped me overcome this isolating roadblock is adapting the mindset of “What is the worst that can happen?” Teenagers often focus on the negative outcome of things rather than the positive possibilities, when in reality no outcome can be negative. By taking a risk of pursuing a new opportunity, many fear the idea of “losing” the goal they set to achieve. A positive way to flip this mindset is by understanding the idea that one cannot lose anything, but instead can only gain. Whether you gain the very thing you were hoping to achieve, or by failing, you gain wisdom on new life lessons, it is impossible to lose when you put in the effort for success. The only possible thing a person can lose out on is the opportunity and wisdom they seek, by letting the mental fear of looking foolish restrict them from taking that leap of faith. If teenagers were able to shift their mindset to understand that every part of life is a learning experiment, the fear of looking foolish would be non-existent. A piece of advice for all teenagers, is to let passion be your source of motivation. If you have the dire desperation to achieve that goal, then no mental roadblock of fear should be powerful enough to stand in between you and your success.
“Embarrassment is an under-explored emotion, go out there and make a fool of yourself.” – Austin Butler 2025