Your opinion's matter.

Don't be afraid to raise your hand in class to ask a question or give an answer.  Many times we are afraid we might have the wrong answer or that someone might laugh at us if we ask a dumb question, but you will be surprised how often you are right and how valuable your insight is.  There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes.  He who never asks a question remains a fool forever."  You never know until you ask.

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

The fact is, we are all afraid of something, but once you work through the fear you will find the fear dissipates and you gain more confidence.  Whether it‘s fear of public speaking, fear of flying, or even fear of clowns, you can take steps to get past it and come out way ahead.  It may be as simple as analyzing the fear.  Ask yourself what is the absolute worst thing that could happen if you did what you fear most.  Then think about the absolute best thing that could happen.  The fear of not doing it is greater than the fear of doing it.  So, like the Nike ad’s say, “Just do it!”