I have watched many confrontations of people I admire, and aspire to handle my own similarly. But yeah, there are plenty of times where I am afraid to confront a particular issue, especially if it involves friends and family.
You are right about just throwing yourself out there. I remember being afraid to speak for teaching classes or giving talks and while the fear isn't gone, just going through several of them have made it much more comfortable. Just have to continue too face what I'm still afraid of.
Cheers!
100% Eon.