There are only two types of people in this world. The ones that want to improve and become a better version of themselves and those that don’t.

Improving and becoming a better version of yourself can wear many masks. Though, not wanting to improve only wears one. Can you guess what it is?

Fear. One single emotion that manifests itself in so many ways it can seem infinite.

Public speaking, being more sociable, and approaching a romantic interest are common fears. They are also powerful reasons to face your fears. They are the keys to things you could be missing out on.

As inspiring as what you have to gain can be, recognizing the things you have to lose may give you the motivation you need to get the ball rolling on facing your fears. What follows is five things you can’t get without facing your fears.

What You’ll Lose By Not Facing Fears

Gratification of overcoming

Fear has a strong ability to put a stranglehold on your ability to act. It’s what prevents you from stepping out of your comfort zone. Fear feeds off of the uncertainty of what will happen if you act.

Not acting robs you of the gratification that you will be filled with when you choose to face that fear. The moment you come out the other side of the situation that fills you with fear, feelings of gratification, relief, and accomplishment wash over you.

This doesn’t mean that you won’t experience fear in that type of situation or that you won’t be critical of how you handled the situation, but it does mean you are stronger to continue facing them.

Realizing your full potential

Not facing your fears limits personal growth. If you don’t step outside your comfort zone, you don’t gain insight, expand your limits or learn new things.

There is no way you can reach your full potential without doing those things.

Fear is what stops you from doing what the little voice in your head knows that you want to do. For example, you want to use the subject of dinner to start a conversation with a coworker. The little voice says, “go to ask for a recipe recommendation.” A split second later, fear says, “you are going to seem strange — don’t do it”

You have to be committed to moving toward fear and continuing on when it wants to stop you.

Change is painful, but it is absolutely necessary.

The pain of change will make you stronger, wiser, and more determined to reach your goals. – Elnaz Serraf

Emotional and Mental Health

Surrendering your commitment to growth also means that you will suffer emotionally and psychologically. These issues lead to direct and indirect economic impacts.

Direct costs, like healthcare and medications, and indirect costs, like loss of productivity and loss of income, can create a cycle of destructive emotional and mental health because you get stuck in negative thoughts about financial struggles.

Mental health issues currently affect one in four adults, according to research. Everyone thinks they aren’t the one, but the only way to be sure of that is to take action and track your emotional and mental health.

Life’s richest moments

Facing fear takes courage, and so does experience the moments in life that offer the greatest satisfaction and reward.

I’m talking about things like graduating from university, starting a business, traveling the world, getting married, and other milestones that bring humans fulfillment. These are all things that you can’t do without courage. In other words, you can’t achieve them without facing fears.

Even if you are focused on smaller steps to start building confidence, chatting with a cutie that intimidates you is a small step toward approaching a boss about a promotion.

The life you want

Imagining things that seem out of reach doesn’t bring them any closer to you. You know what does?

Taking action.

By not facing your fears, you leave behind your dreams. You decide that you are satisfied with the way things are and you let those dreams and desires drift further away. You begin to tell yourself that there is no way you can have them.

And you can’t. Not without facing your fears.

Make the decision today to face your fears. The rewards you will receive can’t be bought, and that makes them more valuable than anything you can.

This is a guest post by Jairet Crum from Youper