3 Steps To Overcome Fear of Failure
Fear can be a gripping emotion and as such, it can be a terribly limiting factor in your life. Fear of failure, for instance, can stop you from giving something a shot even though you might feel like you’ll be good at it. How many stories have gone unwritten just because fear stopped people dead in their tracks? I am guessing, too many to count!
Although fear is a natural emotion that has its uses in certain situations, it shouldn’t become a hindrance to your happiness and success. As the old saying goes, “The only thing you should fear is fear itself.”
Overcoming fear of failure seems like a herculean task. After all, there is a societal stigma attached to it. However, if you do certain things right, you can rid yourself of this menace. Here are three of the most effective ones.
1 | Change Your Perspective
Failure is often seen as the end; that your journey somehow ceases to exist if you’ve failed. This couldn’t be further from the truth. There are countless proofs throughout history for this. The most popular example is perhaps Thomas Edison.
We all know him as the inventor of the light bulb. However, most don’t know that he failed 1000 times before finally inventing it. Can you imagine his grit? To be able to fail that many times and still keep going?
The thing is, you have to see failures in a new light. Start viewing them as stepping stones to your success. Failures are opportunities to learn and become wiser. In fact, while commenting on his failures, Edison said, “I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
2 | Think About The Outcomes
Most of the time, “fear of failure” is actually “fear of the unknown” in disguise. Think about it, when you want to try something new, your mind immediately starts thinking about the “how”. When you lose sight of the reason you wanted to try it in the first place, fear takes over.
Obviously, when you want to travel into unfamiliar terrains, you will come across… unfamiliar terrains! And yes, the thought of doing so can be scary. But, if you analyze in advance all the possible outcomes of your action, the fear will become substantially lower.
The motto with this one is simple. Remove the unknown and fear is removed on its own. Also, when you’re debating in your mind, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” You’ll realize that in most cases, the worst is not as bad as fear had made it seem.
3 | Have A Backup Plan
It is in our nature to want to be in total control of every situation. Of course, this is simply not possible. Life is dynamic and situations can change at the drop of the hat. This is also why many people have this fear of failure. Failure would mean exposing yourself to utter uncertainty.
So, if you have a backup plan in case you do fail, you’ll remove fear from the equation altogether. You’ll go in with confidence thinking that even if the worst happens, you will have an alternative route to take.
In fact, this is very strategic and if decisions involving finances and career are involved, it should be your default modus operandi. Always have a plan B.
To Wrap Up
Follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up-to-date with other life-hacks that I only share on those platforms. While you’re at it, check out my Amazon bestseller Spark Your Inner Genius!
