Lots of people give you advice on overcoming fear.    1    However, I want to tell you that a world without fear would be more dangerous, less rewarding. So we want to treat fear as a friend? Here are three reasons.

    2    Think about it. Do you get more nervous when you meet the girl (or guy) of your dreams? Which is more fearful, talking to the boss of your company or to some of your friends?    3    If you didn’t have fear to guide you, you might not know that! Not so bad, right?

Next, fear encourages us to take action. Fear is a call to action. In the past, our ancestors didn't run away in fear when they saw a tiger running toward them but tried to kill it for food. Now, most of us don't face serious danger like hungry tigers every day, but we do face serious bosses or public speaking. So, what can we do?    4    

Lastly, fear lets you know you are alive. Why do we like roller coasters?    5    Same for horror movies.

So fear can guide you towards what’s important for you and encourage you to take action to improve. Don’t we all need that kind of friend?

【推荐2】Perhaps you have ever heard the saying: Change is the only constant. Everyone, without doubt, goes through changes in their life, whether it is a physical state of aging or a mental state of emotional maturity. However, some are afraid to make the conscious decision to move or they think it's too late to have a fresh start.

I have a friend named Jack. At the age of 37, he is a Senior Manager at one of the Big Four. He has a great salary, owns his own apartment and enjoys the fine things in life, but not without the heavy burdens that his job brings. On the surface, it looks like he has got life figured out. Yet when I once asked if he was happy with his work, he answered that he some- times wished to quit his job to do something less stressful. But he’d become accustomed to this lifestyle and felt that it would be too late to give it up to achieve a new ambition.

For him, the risks are too high, so whether he can't abide his present job or not, he has to choose to suck it up. You might have come to a similar situation as Jack’s or you might be a Jack. You're now facing a wall. No matter what it is—the stress of your job or the terrible feeling, it’s time that you had to decide whether you'll tear down that wall or continue to let it enclose you. I suggest pushing back the boundaries and breaking the fixed patterns. Why do you feel it's too late to start over? That is simply because you're comparing yourself with others—younger or more successful individuals. In fact, you should compare yourself with the older version of you.

Don't become that person who lets life pass by only to regret it when you are making your way into old age. Don't let your life plateau（停滞不前）and waste away in the daily chores. Don't give up the potential you still have hidden and be locked away by your current state. Now, you’d better bravely start going after the things you want to do, without abandoning your dreams, ambitions and responsibilities.

【推荐3】There was once a girl named Ivy. She hardly talked. There was something strange about her. During “Parent and Teacher meeting day”, only her mom would come not her dad. When she was asked about her father’s whereabouts (下落), she would just ignore the question.

Ivy was bullied (欺凌) a lot. She would hide in the library, when the bullying made her sad. She wrote many poems because it was her only resource of relief from the harsh (残酷的) reality. It was her dream to be a poet.

The school year was coming to an end. It was Ivy’s least favorite school day, “Parent and Teacher meeting day”. A student asked where her dad was, she ignored him and told the class that she was going to recite a poem.   

“My father”

“My father was a happy man, never mad.

Did I ever tell you he was a fireman?

He saved lives and helped the poor.

This makes me love him more.

He always made me happy.

By surprising me with white lilies.

He was a great dancer.

Too bad I could not see him because of his cancer.

Do not worry father you are never too far.

Because you’re always in my heart.”

The whole class was silent. God knows what they felt. Was it sadness? Was it guilt? Was it pity? For a moment, they thought they could see her father. He gave her a white lily and vanished (消失) into thin air.

The whole class who was amazed by this sight and gave her a round of applause. She was very happy because she felt light-hearted.

The whole class learned something and that is to always value your loved ones because you never know when they might leave you.

【推荐1】If you are a recent social science graduate who has had to listen to jokes about unemployment from your computer major classmates, you may have had the last laugh. There are many advantages for the social science major because this high-tech “Information Age” demands people who are flexible and who have good communication skills.

There are many social science majors in large companies who fill important positions. For example, a number of research studies found that social science majors had achieved greater managerial success than those who had technical training or pre-professional courses. Studies show that social science majors are most suited for change, which is the leading feature of the kind of high speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in.

Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are also finding jobs more easily. A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-level positions with social science graduates. The study also showed that the most sought-after quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as “very important” by 92 percent of the companies. Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they are. It is probably due to these skills that they have been offered a wide variety of positions.

Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained classmates to land the first job, recent graduates report that they don’t regret their choice of study.

【推荐2】I was so worried about handing my little boy over during his first week of school, but you made it easier. You smiled at him like a mother would at her own child.You showed warmth and your hugs were always on offer.After a day in class with you, Charlie would come home singing. Whenever I hear Do Your Ears Hang Low or see him stretching to the sky when singing about the days of the week, I will think of you.I didn't tell you at the time, but I loved your morning song so much that I implemented it in my own class (I'm a teacher, too).

When you saw I was troubled, you hugged me with your smile and I knew everything would be OK. You made parents feel as cared for as our children.In the short time I knew you; you taught me about the type of teacher I desire to be. You never seemed disturbed by the mountain of paperwork or impossible work-life balance that comes with the role. Instead, you appeared to embrace every minute.

I can't understand why you've been taken from us. Telling Charlie was one of the hardest things I've had to do.I'm not sure he fully understands, but he told me he loved you and has been asking whether your"robot powers"will work in heaven.

A friend once told me white feathers are angels telling us that loved ones in heaven are well. On the first day collecting the children without you，a white feather floated through the sleet (雨夹雪). Watching the younger ones bounce and gigle as they tried to catch it was beautiful.

I wish I had told you all of this when you were with us.I hope that you knew how you brought happiness to everyone you met and how loved you were. Goodbye, Dear Friend.

【推荐3】As I walked into the primary school, I looked down at my new black shoes. I stood at Mrs. Blackstone’s door. Before I tried the great escape, the door opened. “We’ve been waiting for you!” Mrs. Blackstone, my new fifth grade teacher, said loudly. With a smile my mom walked away and I was left standing in the center stage in front of a group of students.

Over the next few days, Mrs. Blackstone made it her job to find me a new best friend. During history lessons, when I didn’t want to speak in front of the class, she’d not only call on me but have me stand up to address my classmates.

One spring afternoon, Mrs. Blackstone asked me to stay after class. “I’d like to speak with you, Amanda.” My mind raced. Had I got a bad grade? Had I hurt anyone’s feelings? “Are you enjoying your new school?” She sat comfortably behind her desk. “I want to tell you something, between you and me, not to be shared with anyone else.” She continued, “I see something special in you. The way you communicate with others, and the kindness you show—I think you have great potential to be something important.” I listened carefully to every word. “I have been a teacher for over twenty-five years; I can see it. But you must believe in yourself. That’s very important. Remember that and you’ll go far,” she said.

Her voice was music to my ears that day. I walked out of her office, not staring at my shoes, but looking straight ahead with my head high. My teacher saw something special in me! Years later, her words still remain inside of me.

【推荐1】Growing up in Arizona's rodeo(竞技 )country, I was familiar with the events that come with traveling rodeos: bull riding, dressing and mutton busting. Mutton busting is like bull riding, but instead of bulls, they use sheep. And in place of the men, it's children between six and ten years old who try to hang on for eight seconds.

It took me all of five minutes to say yes to the idea of riding a sheep. Being seven years old.my decision-making ability was pretty limited. I figured I could ride a sheep as well as the next kid. Little did I know that I was in for a world of pain and embarrassment.

My nerves were shaking the day of the rodeo. I hated being in front of crowds. I didn't like getting dirty: I didn't even like sheep, which I thought of as just dirty and smelly. Yet there I was, getting ready to ride one for eight seconds in front of hundreds of people. I wanted to run out of the field and hide in the hot car until it was over. But by the time this idea occurred to me, it was too late. I was lifted away from my mother by a rodeo trainer and placed onto a platform.

My feet went into the narrow pen(羊圈) first. I felt my shoes touch the dirty floor of the pen. Once I was balanced on the lop of the sheep. The trainer let go and told me to lean forward. I did as he said. I could feel the animal's heart beating faster than mine. I realized that the poor sheep was even more frightened than I was.

Then the gate opened, and I quickly discovered quickly discovered that my hold was too weak. Within three seconds I had fallen off the sheep, and found myself face-down on the sunbaked earth. The sheep thought this was its time to take revenge(复仇), and attacked me from behind. There I lay, hat down, covered in dirt, with tears streaming down my face. I looked behind me to see my mother running to comfort me, "Stand up and show them you're okay, " she told me as she wiped the dirty tears from my face. I stood up, dirty and upset, waved my little hand, and walked out with my mother.

Sadly, I didn’t win anything, not even the respect of these rodeo animals. I did find a new admiration for those little balls of wool, though.