My dad and I have always had the same relative interest in movies and books. Meaningless action or adventure doesn’t draw us in – it needs to mean something more than what it looks like at face value.

For this reason, we are huge Stephen King fans, and have waited many years for the movie ‘It’ to finally come to the big screen. We’ve read countless novels and watched multiple movies or TV shows based around his stories.

In the new movie, Bill Denbrough has a massive stutter that he struggles with throughout his entire childhood, especially after the loss of his kid brother, Georgie, at the hands of the evil creature that lurks within his hometown.

“He thrusts his fists against the post, and still insists he sees the ghost.”

This is the phrase Bill repeats to himself frequently in order to overcome his fear of being embarrassed by his stutter, and he also uses this to help him defeat Pennywise the Dancing Clown before he terrorizes more children in the town of Derry, Maine.

Fears are meant to be faced – now I understand, could I have picked a more outlandish example to choose from? Probably not.

However, this is just the type of example that should help most of us understand that the fears we may have in our actual lives are downright dumb and beatable.

Many of us lack confidence, myself being a great example.

No matter what the challenge is, it’s always worth attempting. The person who says he can and the person who says he can’t are both usually right, because it’s about mindset and the effort one puts forth in achieving that goal.

Personally, I was in speech therapy until middle school. Logically, I hated public speaking and any situation where I would speak in front of more than five people.

However, I came to Waynesburg University as a communication major, and committed myself to beating that challenge I faced my entire life.

Although I’m still puzzled, I now host multiple TV shows on the campus television station, as well as the radio station, and enjoy the opportunity to speak in front of others about something I feel passionate about.

Of course, such accomplishments never come without work and sacrifice.

If you want to be a nurse, study more and apply yourself. Hours and hours of studying isn’t going to be the most fun thing in the world – but keep your eyes on the prize.

In sports, if you want to be top in the conference in a specific stat or event, work harder than you ever have before. Outside of work ethic, you could even commit yourself to a better diet.

Or, if you want to defeat your childhood fear, whether it be a clown or public speaking – you just might be able to do that, too.