How to Overcome the Fear of Failure

We all feel the fear of failure from time to time. I certainly do. It is a part of life, and it can sometimes grip us to the point where we are so afraid of failing at something that we would rather not even try. What can we do about it?  How can we move past the fear in order to achieve our greatest goals, dreams, and desires?

The answer is simple. We stop worrying about whether or not we are going to fail because – guess what? We very well may, and that’s okay! It is inevitable; we are all going to be successful at some things and we are going to fail at other things. The key is to refuse to define ourselves by our failures and commit instead to both learning from our failures and defining ourselves by our successes.

In this video, I share a personal story about a time when I was virtually frozen in fear because I was so preoccupied with the prospect of failure. I also explain how it helped me realize the key to combatting the fear of failure.

We can’t define ourselves by our failures, we have to define ourselves by our successes. We have two choices: Do nothing and nothing will change. Or do something and there is a possibility for something to change.

I love this quote from Dr. Mark Goulston:
We have a lot less control over winning or losing at something we want to accomplish than we do over trying or quitting something.
If you always try, you could eventually win.
If you always quit, you can never win.

My question to you: Is there something that you currently want to accomplish, big or small, but have not yet attempted to start because you are afraid of failing?  

If so, I recommend that you make a list of one action you can take each day (even something small) for the next week which will help get the ball rolling and move you toward accomplishing what you want to do. When the week is over, repeat the process of mapping out and completing small daily actions every coming week and before you know it, you will have made real progress!

Do you have a story about a time when fear of failure stopped you from doing something? Or a story of the time you overcame your fear of failure and accomplished something important to you? Please share it in the comments below–I’d love to hear from you!

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