You are going to die.

I once had a geography teacher who was one of the most amazingly smart people I've ever seen. Here in my country, in order for you to get into college, you have to take some tests, and only the better grades get a spot on college. The harder the courses (med school, engineering), the higher your grades should be.

This teacher I'm talking about was smart enough to become a doctor, engineer or some other profession that pays better than geography teacher. In fact, when he managed to enroll in college, he had the best performance OVERALL - he nailed 86 of the 90 questions in the first test, which is more than enough for you to get into whatever course you want, for free. When asked why he didn't try to join in a "better" course, he told us:

"When I was little, I cared a lot about my appearence and what others thought of me. I would let it get in my way, I would let myself become sad and miserable and I would try to live by other people's rules, always worried and crying about it. So one day, my mom came up to me, grabbed by my t-shirt and said loudly:"

"You HAVE to stop caring so much and limiting yourself like this! You know why? BECAUSE SOMEDAY, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! And when the moment comes, you will look back and all you'll see is regret and roads not taken! You can't change the end, but you can change your path, so your life will be worth the time. You have only one life, so you go there and take your chances, fall in your face, get up again, but don't ever let other people tell you how you should live."

He was terrified - it's not everyday that your mom SCREAMS at your face that you are going to die. But it worked for him - he thought about it and she was right, he was wasting himself away. From that day on, he always did what he believed in, improved himself in every possible way, worked really hard on what he loved and became a very successful man.

When he told us that, I felt it resonating deeply with me. My social anxiety/approach anxiety was all in my head - I didn't even need people talking shit to me, I was my own enemy, getting in my own way and preventing me from taking the chances that could be my road to success. So everytime I start thinking too much if I should approach her or not, I remember: someday, I'll be dead and it will be too late. Now it's not to late.

"Hi! What's your name?.."