How to Overcome Fear of Failure

Overcome Fear of Failure

Does failure daunt you and prevent you from moving ahead in life?  Overcome fear of failure, because failure on one level is often a success on another, when we’re less black-or-white about it. Do you feel that success eludes you and still you are afraid of going after it.

You are not alone. But beware, this generalization is not meant for consolation that keeps you in the failure mode. You must overcome fear of failure because it stops your moving forward as it snatches away opportunities that you would have had otherwise. Persisting and improving and never giving up is the mantra for success. Numerous examples of repeated valiant attempts, not deterred by failing, are there to prove how to overcome fear of failure.

Fear of failure can work as a driving force to make you work harder. If you’re starting a business and feel overcome by a fear of failure, trying letting go and embracing the challenge, and you may be surprised where it takes you. So, overcome fear of failure and move forward in life.

The leaves of history show us how successful people had failed and rose to taste success. The most successful businessman of the world Warren Buffet was denied admission by Harvard University; similarly Michael Jordan the great basketball player was denied a place on his school team. The message is crystal clear when Thomas Edison said he failed his way to success. Albert Einstein and Beethoven both had teachers who felt they were useless.

More contemporary examples are there to inspire us to keep going without giving in to fear. To overcome fear of failure throw out what doesn’t work. Be willing to abandon traditional dos and don’ts that are not helping you reach a favorable outcome. Instead, concentrate on processes and procedures that you recognize will help you reach your goal.

What do we see in these success stories? They had the courage to Fail and used it to Succeed.

Causes: Identifying what causes your fear is the prime step in banishing the fear of failure. The most common causes are past failures, having unsupportive and critical people around and the thought of bad experiences. Not giving your 100% to the project at hand can haunt you and may frighten you with failure.

Benefits: There is much to be gained by overcoming fear of failure. You gain experience by redoing things after identifying your mistakes and refining your work. This gives you experience and invaluable knowledge and bettering your creativity and problem-solving ability, boosting your confidence level. You also improve your focus and learn to be flexible and open-minded.

How can we overcome fear of failure?

Here are some ways that you can adopt to overcome fear of failure and face the challenges before you with renewed confidence and focus in the face of adversity or failure.

Never Take Failure Personally

You should never attribute your failure to your weakness or lack of your ability or character. Never conclude that you are a failure because of initial setbacks. A lot can be learnt and the experience makes you become better and wiser and the lessons learnt and experience gained will serve you well in your future attempts. See failure as a foundation to success.

Accept Failure

Learn to expect and accept failure; like a child learning to walk, or your own experience of learning to cycle. Refine and repeat and set out in a new direction and you gain more skills and confidence that bring success closer.

Keep pushing forward by building on small victories along the way. Remembering them will boost your morale and give you the temerity and ability to persist with self-assurance.

Never Procrastinate

Take action instead of putting off your actions. When you plunge into action you can feel the power to completely eclipse fear and face (and deal with) any challenging situation.

Take Responsibility

It is imperative to take responsibility for the failure and own up to your own mistakes and take remedial actions. It is quite normal to make mistakes and there is always a way to make it up with a more concerted effort.

Support and favorable circumstances will follow those who take the responsibility and lead. Nothing is gained by finger-pointing or playing blame games.

Conclusion – Overcome Fear of Failure

The above are some of the proven ways that I have observed from many successful people in our midst, of which one person that stands out is Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India. In his book “Wings of Fire” he has described the events dotting the launch of SLV3 rocket in 1979—how it failed and later succeeded the very next year.

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About the Author

Vasantha Chary is an avid reader and a passionate writer. She believes in reaching out to people across the world through her well researched articles. She has been writing for the internet for over 4 years on a variety of topics of general interest.

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