I once was afraid that I was losing my hair.

I once was afraid that I would not be able to find another job that I liked as much as the one that I lost in the recession of the early 1990s.

I once was afraid that my grades wouldn’t be good enough to get me into law school.

I once was afraid to call up a girl and ask for a date.

I once was afraid to hand in my resignation from a high-paying job to become a freelance writer.

I once was afraid that disco was never going to fade in popularity.

I once was afraid that, if I played softball, someone would hit an easy fly ball to me and I would drop it.

I once was afraid that I would never stop coughing.

I once was afraid that I would not be able to finish running the marathon I had entered.

I once was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to write a book that met my standards.

I once was afraid of what the Greaney Goons would do to me if I reported to the Financial Freedom Community the truth about safe withdrawal rates.

I once was afraid to kiss a girl.

I once was afraid that I made a mistake by getting out of stocks.

I once was afraid that the judges in my Moot Court competition would ask me a question that I didn’t know how to answer.

I once was afraid that the attack on the World Trade Center might lead to a nuclear war.

I once was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to develop enough sources to cover tax legislative developments effectively for the newsletter at which I was employed.

I once was afraid to get married.

I once was afraid that my boy had broken a bone in his leg.

I once was afraid to confess a sin I had committed.

I once was afraid that dropping out of high school would not look good on my permanent record.

I once was afraid to start my own web site.

• Podcast #87 — Fear of Litigation Caused Our Economic Crisis
• We Ban What We Fear