Fear Of Failure and Three ways to get over it
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone – Neale Donald Walsch
Most people dream about life which is different from what they have now. But, they never even take the first step to get there.
They do not dare step outside their comfort zone. You know why? Fear of failure, they are afraid to fail.
Do you ever start something new and right at the beginning tell your friends and family that you don’t really expect it to work? Do you try to play it down and lower their expectations? Then my friend you most likely have fear of failure.
Number one, you played it down right at the beginning so that if you fail it does not look like it’s a big deal. You did not expect to succeed.
Number two, you are worried what others will think if you fail and are already covering your bases in case you fail.
By doing that you are already setting yourself for failure. You are going in with a flawed mindset.
Maybe you dream of financial freedom…living a debt free life, not having to worry about paying the bills or paying for your children’s college, or just not having to live paycheck to paycheck.
Maybe you want to live in a different city or state or country. It can be because of your health or for being close or away from your family, or just for better opportunities.
Maybe you want to have great relationships in your life. You may want to meet someone special or get married, have family of your own. You may want to improve your relationships with your family and loved ones.
Okay, so whatever your dreams, goals, aspirations in life are.
If you want more out of life you must do something different then what you are doing right now. In order to do that you need to get out of your comfort zone and get over the fear of failure.
It is the thought “What if I fail?” that stops us from taking that one step which may be the difference between the life of your dream and being stuck.
Accept the fact that you have fear of failure.
The big step in solving any kind of problem is first to identify that you have a problem and then accept it. It is very important because when you do not accept or understand that you have fear of failure you may sabotage your own success at a subconscious level. Acknowledge and accept that you have fear of failure.
Fear of failure often manifests in different ways. It may show up in the form of procrastination, where you do other not so important tasks, and put off doing one thing you must do.
Sometimes it may even manifest in physical forms such as upset stomach, stomachache, headaches etc., preventing you from taking the steps you need to take towards your goals.
Once you know what is stopping you it is easy to overcome it.
Ways to get over fear of failure.
Here is what you can do to get over the fear of failure.
- Ask yourself, what are you afraid of? What is the worst thing that can happen?
Say, for example you want to resign from your job and start your own business. What is the worst thing that can happen?
You may lose your investment and time. But, in the process you will gain experience and can start again more intelligently. Even if you decide not to start again, you can find another job.
Then, ask yourself “What is the best thing that can happen?” You may become wildly successful and never have to worry about money again.
What are the chances of outcome being somewhere in the middle which is still better than your current situation?
Most of the times when you look at a situation from this perspective you may come to understand that worst thing may not be as bad as you think it would be. Most likely the actual outcome will be far more favorable than the worst case scenario.
- Think what obstacles or unfavorable outcomes may stand in your way.
Say, you are afraid of losing your money and not having an income, in the example above. Think of alternatives.
Is it possible to start the business while working as a side hustle? Later on as your business grows you can gradually transition from a full time to a part time job to a full time entrepreneur.
Similarly think of any other obstacles you may encounter. Come up with potential solutions for each of them.That should ease your worries and take the pressure off.
Keep in mind anticipating obstacles and preparing for them is different from worrying and being afraid of them.
- Use visualization to help you get over obstacles.
Once, you identify the obstacles and possible solutions, visualize and see yourself getting over those obstacles. In the eyes of your mind see yourself overcoming all the difficulties and being successful.
It is a well-known fact that many successful people like pro athletes use visualization technique to their advantage.
Having solutions in advance for anticipated problems will ease your fear.
Fear of failure may not be such a bad thing after all.
Most people fear failure because they worry about what others will think. They don’t want to be failures in the eyes of friends, family or coworkers. They worry about the feeling of humiliation and shame.
If that is why you fear failure; use it to fuel your dreams. Nobody likes to be humiliated. Use that fear to be proactive, to get things done on time, to stay on schedule and to get over procrastination.
Fear of failure like any other fear is a normal emotion. We all feel it, although the intensity felt by different individuals may vary. Feel that fear but don’t let it stop you from acting. It’s all good as long as you move along, keep taking action and don’t let that fear paralyze you.
Next time when fear of failure strikes, take a deep breath and say, “I can do this.” Then, just take the next step.