Fear can be a healthy emotion. When a person is completely fearless, such as a person who is experiencing a manic episode, they can gamble away the family's life savings or risk their life and honor in foolish behavior. There is a natural aspect of fear that protects us from disaster. On the other hand, fear can keep us from success. While natural caution is a good thing, there is also a place for taking a risk, especially when you are seeking to gain success.
Some common fears are those that involve other people. Extreme shyness, for example, is really much like a fear of other people. Shy people might be afraid that others will reject them or dislike them. Another people fear that many people have is that of public speaking. Oddly, many people who are not afraid in a one-on-one people situation can be paralyzed by the thought of speaking before a group. In fact, public speaking often ranks first on surveys of common fears people have.