We all strive to be successful in life every which way. And why wouldn’t we? We fear failure. But failure is part of the process when it comes to success. Failure is to success what weakness is to strength. They are polar opposite yet necessary for achievement. Without obstacles in life success earned is not often permanent. Our fear of failure often holds us back more than failure itself. Fear of failure is so damaging to growth it’s astounding. Often we hear fear is an illusion. It really is, and it’s often the manifestation of our thoughts. Let’s discuss why failure without fear could actually help us.
Why we should embrace failure
Let’s be clear none of us would prefer failure over success however failure in life is inevitable. Failure could be a lesson. Each failure teaches us how to be better. Personally it took a long time before I started to appreciate the distinction between failure and fear of failure. Fear of failure far too many held me back from even trying. I constantly second guessed myself and end result was being stagnant. Every opportunity I passed up on could have taken my life to greater possibilities or maybe not, point is I’ll never know because I held myself back.
So from my own experience first suggestion I have for those who are scared of failure, years from now the very same fear would seem like a missed opportunity. That regret is a steep price to pay.
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Try even if you are scared
Overcoming a fear is lasting progress. If fear of failure is minimized potential to be successful is maximized. I understand it may sound like a cheesy line but it actually is a great rule to live by. Fear, False Evidence Appearing Real. False evidence yes false evidence of a potential bad outcome becomes a mental and emotional roadblock. What if we could get past fear and actually follwed through with our goals? Imagine the possibilities.
We simply need the courage to face our fear of failure. It will not guarantee success but it will pave the way to progress. Failure is one of two possibilities when we try to take on any challange, goal or a vision. Overnight success often takes years. When we consider all the greats we revere their success but hardly ever focus on all the setbacks, failure and disappointments.
The greatest and most successful individuals didn’t ignore failure they simply didn’t let it stop them. And that’s why they made history. The famous quote by Edison “I didn’t fail I simply found 10,000 ways that won’t work” sums up the need for failure when success is imminent.
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My new practice in life has been trying and trying again. I wanna see my limits and find ways to go beyond it. It took 17 years before I could leave a job that was comfortable but a dead end. I was so scared of not finding something better or finding something new then failing. I stayed at the same spot because of that fear. Years of education hardly taught me about taking chances.
Look into the root of your fear
Atychiphobia is the medical term for fear of failure. According to healthline.com Atychiphobia refers the the inability to pursue a goal because of fear of failure. Lack of confidence believed to be the root cause of this phobia. So building confidence could be the starting point. And, yes it won’t happen on the first try but with an effort and discipline consistently could be the way. Small steps with consistency.
Atychiphobia is the medical term for fear of failure.
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Growing up public speaking was a terrifying thought for me. I feared everyone would laugh or be critical. I remember back in high school I got an F for not being able to present my project in front of class. Among friends, classmates, co-workers. I started speaking in front of smaller groups. In the begining everyone could tell I was nervous but I kept at it. There was a time most of my friends and co-workers assumed I was rather antisocial. And that’s far from the truth because I love interacting with everyone. Eventually more I spoke with everyone more I confidence I started to build. For me it’s still work in progress but I am better than where I was years ago. I constantly look for ways and insights to be better at public speaking.
I pay close attention to individuals who I admire as public speakers and their eloquence. My goal isn’t to be a successful public speaker one day my goal was to overcome my fear of public speaking. As I overcame my fear a little bit at a time I started doing more at work and in life. My communication improved. I started volunteering for projects that would take me out of my comfort zone. The confidence I had lacked I felt I was building it day by day. I do get nervouse to this day when I think about public speaking however I learned to minimize my fear. The worst that could happen would be a lesson one way or another, that’s what I remind myself.
The point is once the root of your fear is addressed you could decide how to move forward. Have a bigger goal however count on small steps to reach it. The process itself is educational and insightful. Pay attention to your progress or lack thereof. Do consider the idea is progress is not perfection. Perfection is essentially an illusion because in life we are all work in progress to en extent, yes even the great ones. We have to be the one to build confidence, it’s not up to others.
Here are few tips from my own research
- Learn to be more positive each day
- Trust yourself and stop negative self-talk
- Simplify your course of action
- In life failure is temporary as long as we do not stop trying
- Measure your progress
- Learn, focus on knowledge and development of your own skills
- Learn from your failure, there are clues
- Always remember fear is on your mind, you are in control
There are so many other ways fear of failure could be addressed. It certainly isn’t one size fits all, so find your own. Your intuition, motivation and drive would lead you the right path. Each time we fail and choose to get back up we become more resillient.
To Conclude
In life showing up takes courage and motivation. So each passing day we all have a choice, show up or live in fear. Trying to avoid failure would lead to regret. But if we believe no matter what our goal in life is giving it all could lead to endless potential. If we choose to pursue success in life we would create a better version of ourselves each day. Ultimately we would end up being who we are meant to be. We are in charge of our destiny.
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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
