Everyone is afraid of something, and it’s easy to let those fears cripple you. Fear is a powerful motivator, but it’s a negative emotion, so you have to be careful that it doesn’t overpower you. Try these ways to spotlight your fear so that you see it in a different way, using it to get the life you want.

1. Learn from your fears.

You fear things because you experienced it in the past and got hurt in some way. It’s fine to feel hurt, and to remember how it affected you, but you don’t need to let it scare you into submission. If you feel like you’re in a similar situation to what hurt you before, be cautious, but still go forward. You’ll never grow as a person if you let yourself be held back by the past. Knowing what went wrong before will help you be confident in taking new steps in the future.

2. Find the root of your fear and confront it.

What are you scared of, and why? If you’re afraid of heartbreak, trace the problem back to its root. Is it because you’re scared of being alone? Do you hate how a specific person made you feel? Find the cause and think about it until you understand why you’re afraid. Once you understand the problem, you’re well on your way to conquering the fear.

3. Overcoming fear makes you stronger.

Fear can intimidate you and make you want to hide under a rock until the feeling has passed, but then you’ll be hating yourself for being a wimp. If you face it straight on, no matter what the outcome of the event, you’ll be proud of yourself for proving that you’re strong enough to handle anything that comes your way--and future problems won’t stand a chance against you.

4. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

Most people fear the unknown, and even more fear doing something alone. Traveling to a new country alone is a big fear for many, but even going out to a restaurant alone might cause some anxiety. Things like this might scare you, but if you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you’ll discover a lot of great things about yourself and the world. No one wants to try a new restaurant with you, so go alone! Leave your phone at home and embrace the delicious dining experience. Instead of waiting for all of your friends to get vacation time, go somewhere alone and see how it feels to really live in the moment, instead of having to take other people’s likes and dislikes into consideration. It may seem scary, but once you’ve conquered it, you’ll feel bold. Your comfort zone will have expanded with the experience, so you’ll be ready to take on more — fearlessly.

5. Fear keeps you rooted in the familiar.

If you’re scared of everything, you’re never going to change. Fear can hold you back in so many different ways that you might not even notice you’re becoming stagnant. You don’t have to do every single thing that scares you, but it’s far scarier to stay in the same place your whole life than to take a few risks and see what good may come to you.

6. Know that good things come from fear.

A lot of people fear change, because change demands a lot of shuffling your life around. Rethink how fear makes you feel — if you’re afraid, it means that something new is right around the corner. Welcome this change, knowing it will bring something new to your life, even if you think you’ve already got it as good as it can get. Even negative changes will help you realize how much you’re capable of, and you’ll feel stronger for it.

7. Even if you fail, you’ll be happy you tried.

Nothing beats the feeling of self-satisfaction. Making other people proud of you is one thing, but knowing you’ve tried to conquer something that made your palms sweaty will make you feel so empowered, the next hurdle that comes your way won’t even be a bump in the road.

8. Embrace fear as you do happiness.

What would happen if you start to welcome fear, like you welcome happiness? You never avoid something because you think it will make you happy. If you stop avoiding fear, you can take all its power away. Review this list and see how fear can be a positive emotion in your life, and welcome it with a smile. You’re going to kick this fear’s butt, and it’s going to push you to a better place. We all need a little motivation, so make fear work for you.