AVOIDANCE - APOCALYPSE STYLE!

We are told, a LOT, that we shouldn't avoid things. That we should face our fears head on, expose ourselves to them, and tackle them in order to defeat them.
This is good advice ... sometimes.
So, for example, say you are scared of doing public speaking. There are things you can do so it isn't as scary!

Learning some good techniques, watching other people do it, practicing at home and in front of friends, and, most of all, getting out there and doing it yourself are the best ways (I think) to get better at it and also to not be as scared of it.
However ... say you're scared of zombies. If you face a zombie head on and tackle it, there is a very good chance that you are going to get your earlobes bitten off and used as the outsides of a sandwich with your liver as the filling.
If you're scared of ninjas, and you face up to a ninja and tackle it, there's a very good chance that you will get a ninja star up your nostril and a poison dart in your butt.
There are some things it's good to avoid. It's also good to avoid people who drag you down or make you feel bad, or scared. It's good to avoid eating too much junk food. It's good to avoid picking your nose while you are on stage giving a speech to a thousand people.
I guess, for me, the thing is this. Pick your battles (not your nose). If it's something you really want to do or achieve, go for it. 
Don't avoid it.
Get in there and do your best, no matter how much it scares you. It will get easier, more natural, less scary.
If, however, it's just something you think you should do or that other people tell you you should do, well, if it doesn't light you up inside, avoid it, otherwise you may literally get lit up inside ... by a ninja smoke bomb. Or a zombie's mouth ... I don't know how that works but you know what I mean. It will eat your guts!
Now get out there and run away!