I'm 20. In University, and studying to be a teacher. I have a pretty outgoing personality and have a stutter. Sometimes I think that was the world's way of keeping me at bay, I probably shouldn't say everything I want to say, and it keeps me on my toes. Still, I consider the stutter a curse, one that I'll carry with me forever. The fear is the biggest part. My theory is that the fear is 70% of the cause. Knowing you might stutter just makes you stutter. You just need to own it. Make sure to have ownership over your stutter. It's a part of who you are but you'll be damned if it becomes who you are. And I don't mean owning up to it in front of others. Sure, saying "hey I have a stutter" can help ease the tension and anxiety when you stutter in front of others. But if they're cool people they won't care anyway. You need to own it to yourself. Accept that this is you, and that it is okay to be you. You don't owe anything to anyone when it comes to your stutter, you owe yourself the peace of mind, the personal security. Try to never be defeatist if you can. Sometimes I still lose the fight, but I try as hard as I can to make sure I say something that I normally would say. If anything the stutter just makes me think over a sentence before I decide whether I actually want to/can say it. But never throw away your words because you're afraid of it. Don't go through your life treating it like some lingering cloud that hangs over you. It is a part of us, whether we like it or not, and it is our choice to embrace it, and not just survive- but thrive with it.