Ready to Get Rid of Your Fear of Failure?
Fear of failure can make you feel like you’re stuck in quicksand… Slowly dragging you and your dreams down.
You probably heard the saying: "if you don’t like your current situation, change it." Want some honesty? This kind of rhetoric leaves you feeling more frustrated. First it doesn’t deal with the reason why change itself often fails… it puts you in an uncomfortable place. Second when you feel uncomfortable, you resist making meaningful changes to your life.
The end result… You procrastinate and come up with 100 reasons why you can’t move forward, thus letting fear of failure control your life… keeping you stuck.
Several different things can cause you to fear failure could actually be a fear… it all starts with your belief system
It might be:
- the fear of being judged
- Fear of being criticized.
- Fear of being rejected
- Or fear of wasting time on something you don’t think will work out in the end. (self doubt)
6 Ways to Overcome Your Fear of Failure to Unleash Your Potential
Unfortunately, fear can prevent you from every really knowing your true capabilities… your potential.
If your feel of failure has you in its grip, understanding these concepts can set you free:
- Failure isn’t always about you. A great way to make yourself feel depressed is to internalize negative experiences. Try considering your contribution to the situation. Many factors are outside of your control and it’s foolish and counterproductive to take all the blame.
- For example, not acknowledging the effect of the economy on your new business venture, or the effect that distance has on an intimate relationship, isn’t reasonable. Any failure has contributors that aren’t under your immediate control.
- It’s just a mental construct. Is a very young child afraid of failure? Of course not. The concept is entirely foreign to them. This is good, since none of us would have learned to walk!
- Learn to enjoy the process of seeing just how far you can take something. Make your goal more about discovery than about accomplishing something specific.
- There are only results. One of the best ways to figure out what works is to figure out what doesn’t work. We learn by trying ideas. Regardless of whether or not an attempt is successful, you learn something every time you try. Then it’s just a matter of applying what you’ve learned to develop a better solution for the next attempt.
"I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work"
~Thomas Edison
- Have a clear vision of your desired results. What does success really mean to you? Sometimes fear of failure is actually a fear of failing other people’s expectations. But their definition of success might not match your own.
- It’s your life. Choose your own vision of success.
- Think about how you’ll feel if you never try. Sometimes the pain of sitting on the sidelines is stronger than the fear of failing. How will you feel in your later years if you don’t put forth your best effort now? Most seniors regret the things they never tried, not the things at which they failed.
- Consider the worst likely outcome. What’s the worst that could happen? Could you handle it? What contingency plans could you put into place?
- If you’re prepared for the worst, there’s no reason to fear failing.
Minimizing your fear of failure is critical to maximizing your success. At some point, it’s important to forge ahead in spite of fear. There’s nothing wrong with taking action, even if you’re a little uncomfortable. Dealing with discomfort is a part of success. It’s how you expand your comfort zone to accommodate greater things.
Use these tips to help you conquer your fear of failure. Your life will be enriched in many positive ways.
Let me know how you use this suggestions to overcome the fear of failure and/or share some tips that worked for you.
Stay Unstoppable,
Leanne Chesser says
Number 5 is the one that starts to help me in the one area where I allow my fear of failure to hang on. I’ll add that to my tool box :).
Ann Rusnak says
Yes Leanne
That one motivates me too. Keeping the “regret” list small is a great goal.
Henry Matlock says
Great advice, Ann. I especially like your point about having your own vision of success. It’s so freeing to strive for something you actually want versus something that you think will please someone else. Thanks for the post.
Henry
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Henry Matlock
Author Coach
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