Living in a first-world country, there’s not a whole lot to fear. I mean, we’re free (-ish) of war, famine, plague (unless you count COVID, of course), animals that eat us and dictators. Nonetheless, fear is part of the human psyche, plain and simple. We’ll always find something to be fearful about, including success. However, you don’t have to limit your success because of your fear of failure. Don’t be afraid to embrace the changes that come along with trial and error. Learn how to identify, and roll with, the fails in life and still reach your goals.
The fear of failure is not uncommon
Failure is a fear that most people have experienced. We’re all human and as such, we don’t like to appear unskilled in the presence of others. On the other hand, if you’re not willing to risk failure, it can lead to a life full of limits. Learning to handle the fear of failure is a valuable goal. Most people steer clear of situations where they have the potential to fail. On the bright side, this can mean that you might have less competition if you do, indeed get over that fear…so at least there’s that!
Moving forward, take advantage of these strategies:
Don’t let the fear of failure to limit your life…
- Pinpoint your fear. What, specifically, are you afraid of? Are you worried your audience will laugh at you? Would you feel badly about yourself if you did not succeed? Are you worried that you’ll never be able to succeed? Define your fear so that you know where your focus needs to be.
- Determine your meaning of failure. What does failure really mean to you? Is it something you can escape? Does it have a permanent, lasting result? Is it a sign that you’re incompetent or under qualified?
Hint: Think of failure as nothing more than an unwanted outcome. You guessed at something and you were incorrect…you can learn from that experience and improve the next time around. Simple enough, right? - Envision success. Rather than imagining your life with limits, imagine yourself in a successful life. Take a few minutes a couple times each day and visualize what success looks like in your life. Take note of how it will feel to be successful and free from limitations and then concentrate on that. Let yourself really feel it and connect with the emotion that it brings.
Hint: Allow your brain to focus on images of success rather than failure. Eventually, you’ll grow to anticipate being successful, and subsequently, the limits that your life previously had will seem to disappear. - Reflect on the worst-case scenario. What is the worst thing that can occur? Can you manage that result? Of course, you can.
Hint: Develop a routine approach for handling the worst possible outcome. Once you’re sure you can put up with the least desirable situation, there’s nothing left to fear. Make this a pattern in your life, similar to a keystone habit that you carry out each and every day. - Think about your failures in the past. You’re sure to have overcome numerous failures in your life. Consider how many times you failed while learning to walk, ride a bike or learning to spell. Something as simple as learning to speak undobtedly took some trial and error. Still, here you are…a survivor. We all fail daily, in some small way or another, yet each day the sun continues rise because, of course, the world keeps spinning.
- Adapt with the discomfort that failure brings. The thought of failure is uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean your actions have to be affected. The less than comfortable sentiments of your failures are just suggestions. You are able to choose your own response.
- Begin with something small. If your level of comfort doesn’t allow you to move forward with you plan, just take one tiny step towards action. Take on one, small thing and be aware that you are not, in fact, hurt or wounded by the experience. You can take slightly bigger steps after that, and in a short amount of time you will accomplish enourmous action toward your goal.
- If you allow your fear to stop you, what will happen? Visualize yourself in 20 years. Where are you if you don’t take this risk? How do you feel about where you are? You’ll almost certainly regret it, especially if you’re seeing yourself anywhere but at your preferred ending.
Hint: Think back to your high school days. Remember that classmate you were too timid to have a conversation with? How do you feel about that now? I think you know that if you could do it all again, you’d find the courage to speak up.
We tend to regret missed opportunities more than things we actually do. Check out our YouTube Channel to see a video about overcoming your fears.
How has the fear of failure limited your life?
It’s quite alirght to be scared, but if you have a good understanding of failure, you can overcome that fear for good. What’s not okay is to let your fear of failure keep you from finding success. Your life is continuously progressing. You can’t allow the fear of failure to stand in the way of your goals. This is your one life to live, so do it well and steer yourself toward success.
If you are afraid, but ready to take a step in the direction of success, click here!
