Don’t be afraid of the Fear of Failure
As in life, similar it is in businesses- if you never fail, you will probably miss out on some important life lessons. And to think of it, what is wrong with failing? For most, we do it every day. From pressing the snooze button on the alarm for those five minutes of extra sleep to many other daily distractions, failure becomes a part of our daily lives. Although, we can all agree that failing to get out of bed is not the same as facing a financial loss in business.
That brings us to the important question, what exactly is failure? Considering the current corporate scenario, failing simply means failing at the job you are being paid for. So if you are failing at something, you are probably doing the job wrong, and no one wants it that way. But if you fail, what do you learn from that? These two things go hand in hand, when you fail at something, you always learn something new so Don’t be afraid of the Fear of Failure
So is failure something bad? To put it in simple words, failure is something that does cross our paths some or another time in our lives. Nobody would like to fail, but sometimes it’s just inevitable. Of course, it does not mean that you should fail intentionally and cost your company any kind of loss, but it truly is inevitable, and that phase might take you to the lows in life.
But does that mean that you are incompetent? Or does it mean that you should resign from the job or leave things unchanged? Of course not! As long as your desire to succeed is larger than your fear of failure, it won’t bother you.
After all, Confucius, a renowned Chinese philosopher has rightly said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fail.”
Here are 7 tips that can help you overcome the fear of failure:
1. Determine the source of failure:
Consider what may be the source of your negative belief. Which of the four primary factors of a fear of failure do you relate to the most? Write down where you believe your fear stems from an attempt to comprehend it from the outside. Imagine you’re attempting to assist one of your greatest buddies if it helps. Perhaps you’re afraid because of something that occurred to you as a youngster, or because you’re insecure. When you name the cause of your Fear of Failure, it loses part of its power.
2. Redefine Your Goal Beliefs
Having an all-or-nothing mindset might sometimes leave you with nothing. Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, but don’t forget to incorporate learning something new in your plan. You are far less likely to fail if you constantly strive for growth and learning. People are encouraged to “fail early and fail fast” at Pixar. To stay on the leading edge, they promote experimentation and innovation. The Fear of Failure is a part of that attitude, but as long as they fulfill their goal of creating amazing tales, all of the setbacks are merely opportunities to improve.
3. Develop a Positive Mentality
You believe what you tell yourself in many situations. How you respond and behave is influenced by your internal conversation. Our culture is fixated on achievement, but it’s vital to remember that even the most successful individuals fail. Walt Disney and Steve Jobs would not have succeeded if they had believed the negative comments.
It’s up to you to pay attention to your negative self-talk and recognize triggers. Negative ideas should be replaced with positive information about yourself and your situation. You’ll be able to build new mental scripts that you may use when negativity starts to seep in. What you do is greatly influenced by the voice in your brain.
4. Create a visual representation of all possible outcomes
It’s scary to be unsure of what will come next. Take some time to consider the various outcomes of your decision. Consider the best-case and worst-case scenarios. If you’ve already had a chance to psychologically prepare for what might happen, you’ll feel better. Fear of Failure of the unknown may prevent you from accepting a new position. Consider the advantages and disadvantages, as well as potential successes and failures, before making such a life-changing decision. Knowing how things might turn out could assist you in getting unstuck.
5. Consider the Worst-Case Situation
There are occasions when the worst-case scenario could be devastating. If something horrible happens, it isn’t always the end of the world. In the grand scheme of things, it’s critical to establish how horrible the worst-case scenario is. We give situations more power than they deserve at times. In the vast majority of cases, The Fear of Failure is not irreversible.
Starting a new firm, for example, is bound to be a learning process. You’ll make decisions that don’t work out, but the discomfort is usually only temporary. You have the option to adjust your plan and recover. Even in the worst-case scenario, if the perceived failure resulted in the closure of the company, it may be the start of something new.
6. Prepare a contingency plan
It’s never a bad idea to have a backup plan in place. When the worst has happened, the last thing you want to do is search for a solution. Having a backup plan allows you to go forward with more confidence and take measured risks. Maybe you’ve applied for a grant to help support a project at work. Is there any other method to obtain the cash if you don’t get the grant in the worst-case scenario? Because there are generally several approaches to a problem, having a backup is a wonderful method to alleviate the fear of failure.
7. Whatever occurs, use it to your advantage
It’s possible that things won’t go as planned, but it doesn’t imply you’ve failed. Whatever happens, use it to your advantage. Even a less-than-ideal circumstance might provide an excellent chance to learn and improve. You’ll eventually discover the silver lining if you look hard enough. You may overcome your fear of failure if you understand that “failure” is a chance for progress rather than a death sentence.
So doing the same thing over and over again will surely lead you through a safe journey, but it won’t lead to any breakthroughs. So don’t worry, Don’t be Fear of Failure it is only natural to have an occasional hiccup, or hit a dead end, or take a wrong turn, It all works for the best in the end!
