“The biggest enemy of success is the fear of failure”
The quote above summarizes what is standing between you and success. It is the fear of failure that limits our ability to achieve success.
We all have experienced fear of failure at some point in our lives and continue to do so from time to time. For example, you are handed a new project at work and you find yourself second-guessing whether you can complete it. Whenever we encounter something challenging and outside of our comfort zone, we fear failure.
Remember failures help you learn and grow,
Failures are a part of life and an essential ingredient for success. Remember the time as toddlers when we kept falling while learning to walk? We kept getting up because we wanted to learn how to walk. In the process, we also realized that each time we fell, it hurt and so we were more careful the next time.
Similarly, in our journey towards success, we will face many failures. Each failure is a stepping stone that will take us closer to success.
Success is not a straight line, it zigzags.
If you want to achieve success, you need to be okay with failure. Embrace it and learn from it. Each failure is a chance to grow and get closer to your goal.
“The biggest enemy of success is the fear of failure”. Overcome your fear of failure and take the first step towards success.
What are the Causes of fear of failure?
Fear of failure can come from a variety of different sources. Below are common causes of fear of failure:
Perfectionism
Perfectionists set extremely high standards for themselves and feel like they have to be perfect in everything they do. This can lead to a fear of failure because if they don’t meet their high standards, they feel like they have failed.
Fear of what others will think
We all care about what others think of us to some extent. But for some people, this can be a much bigger issue. If you’re constantly worried about what others will think of you, it can lead to a fear of failure. You might be afraid to try new things or take risks because you’re worried about what others will think if you fail.
Past experiences
If you’ve had bad experiences in the past, it can be hard to move on from them. You might be afraid of failing again because you don’t want to feel that pain or disappointment. For example, I failed university and was suspended for a year. I was terrified of going back and failing again, so I chose to not go back at all. We all have similar experiences in life, which hold us back today.
Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs are negative beliefs that you have about yourself. For example, “I’m not good enough”, “I can’t do this”. These kinds of beliefs can hold you back and make you afraid to fail because you don’t think you have what it takes to succeed. It is important to recognize these are beliefs we have gathered from our life experiences and these thoughts don’t hold any reality.
Fear of the unknown
We all have the fear of the unknown, which stands between us and taking a step forward.
When you don’t know what to expect, it can be scary. You might be afraid to take risks or try new things because you don’t know what will happen.
How to overcome the fear of failure
Acknowledge your fear
The first step to overcoming anything is to acknowledge that it exists. To overcome the fear of failure, you need to recognize and accept that the fear of failure is holding you back in life.
Once you accept that you are afraid of failing you will be willing to make changes in your life. Often what happens is that we try to work on things we have not fully acknowledged and hence fall behind when it is time to take action.
Identify your triggers and the causes behind your failure
Before you get started on working on how to overcome your fears. It is important to identify what triggers your fear of failure.
What situations make you feel this way? When do you start feeling afraid or anxious? and why do you feel anxious thinking about that thing? Take some time to analyze your triggers and make a note of them.
When It comes to my triggers, I look at my past failures negatively, therefore when it comes to doing challenging things, I get anxious because I’m thinking about all the ways that I could fail.
Therefore it is important to take some time, to find the root cause of what is holding you back. Once you know that you can create a plan on how to work on those.
Challenge your beliefs
One of the main causes of fear of failure is negative beliefs about yourself. These beliefs about ourselves start getting ingrained in us from childhood and then stay with us forever.
For example, if you were told by someone that you aren’t smart enough to complete school. Then you may have a hard time believing that you can achieve amazing things, even as an adult.
Therefore If you want to overcome the fear, you need to challenge these beliefs. Are they true? What evidence do you have to support them? Once you start questioning your beliefs, you can start to see that they might not be as true as you think.
Make a plan
Once you know what you’re afraid of and why you can start to make a plan. What do you need to do to overcome your fear?
Making a plan gives you a sense of control and can help you feel more confident. When you have a plan, you know what you need to do and you can focus on taking action.
Set some goals for yourself, on how you plan to face your fear of failure.
Start small and take action
The only way to overcome your fear of failure is to take action. You need to face your fears and do the things you’re afraid of. It might be scary at first but it will get easier with time. Remember, you can always start small and work your way up.
If you’re feeling afraid or anxious about something, it can be helpful to start small. Break the task down into smaller steps so that it feels less daunting. When you break it down, it might not seem as scary or difficult as it first seemed.
Process your emotions
When you do fail, it’s important to process your emotions. Allow yourself to feel disappointed or sad but don’t dwell on your failure. What can you learn from the experience? What could you do differently next time?
Ask for help
If you’re finding it difficult to overcome your fear of failure, it might be helpful to ask for help. Talk to a friend or family member about what you’re going through. You can also talk to a therapist or counselor who can help you work through your fears.
Remember failure is not a bad thing
One of the most important things you should remember is that failure is not a bad thing.
If you keep looking at failure in a negative light you will never be able to overcome your fear. If you let one failure and negative experience stay with you for life, you will never be able to move on and achieve success. Start to look at failure as a learning experience. What can you learn from it? How can you use it to become better?
When you start taking failures as lessons and start to grow from them, you will see your fears vanish.
Learn how to face your fears now!
Stories of those who failed before succeeding
When you’re feeling afraid of failing, it can be helpful to read stories of people who have failed before they found success. These stories can help you see that failure is a normal part of life and that it’s not the end of the world if you fail.
One story that always inspires me is that of Thomas Edison. He is one of the most famous inventors in history and he is also known for his failure. He failed thousands of times before he invented the light bulb. But he didn’t give up and eventually, he found success.
Michael Jordan is another example of someone who has failed before succeeding. He is one of the greatest basketball players of all time but he didn’t always have success. He was cut from his high school basketball team and he lost many games during his career. But he kept going and eventually, he became one of the greatest players in history.
These stories show that failure is a normal part of life and it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure if you fail. You can learn from your failures and use them to help you find success.
Remember the biggest enemy of success is the fear of failure
Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back in life. Remember that “the biggest enemy of success is the fear of failure”.
If you keep fearing that you will fail, you will never take a chance in life and never be able to face bigger challenges. Life is all about taking action and learning from your mistakes. Remove the word failure from your dictionary and take failure as a lesson to grow. Most people succeed because they grow from their failures and continue to take action despite failing.
So Acknowledge your fear, identify your triggers, and take action. Remember, you can always start small and work your way up. If you’re finding it difficult to overcome your fear of failure, ask for help. Talk to a friend or family member about what you’re going through, or seek help from a therapist or counselor.
And finally, don’t forget to read stories of people who have failed before succeeding. These stories will show you that failure is a normal part of life and it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure if you fail. You can learn from your failures and use them to help you find success.
