Sometimes, the only thing standing between you and your ultimate success is your fear of failure. From a perspective, it’s more complicated than anyone has thought it to be. In fact, many experts and even successful people have recognized the bittersweet role of failure in achieving one’s ultimate aspirations in life.
While it has been proven that accepting failure and all the heartbreaks that go with it can be constructive, not everyone has the strength, the maturity and the right experience to handle it with grace. Failure, no matter how productive it can be to some, can be a destructive force that could burn one’s optimism to ashes. This is the reason why many people are afraid of it, paralyzing them to not even take that first single step.
If you’re one of the unfortunate dreamers who have been scared to try, this article will give you some of the most inspiring and more importantly, motivational ways to overcome your fear of failure and finally live the life that you’ve been wanting to have.
First of all,
1. Understand that the start is always the hardest.
Taking the first step and experiencing the early stages in achieving your dreams can be the hardest. One simple example is when you start a new job. Sometimes, you’ll suffer from that physical and emotional shock that every new employee goes through.
However, give it days or months when you’ll no longer feel the blows of your daily grind. The point here is, the first stages are always the most difficult. It’s during the first step when your foot is at its heaviest. Don’t let this natural part of the process intimidate you or else, you can never move forward.
2. Stop looking back and focus on the future.
No, your future mistakes won’t be there to add to the heavy burden of trying again – unless you let them. Stop dwelling in the past, especially in past failures if you really want to change your life for the better.
Rather, focus of what’s ahead and make sure that you do it with full optimism. Be excited about the changes than letting your fear create an alternate and less-pleasing reality for you.
3. Identify your confidence boosters.
What are the things that make you feel good about yourself? Which skill or expertise do you think can help you realize that you’re not a loser nor a failure? Try to identify and recognize the good things about you.
Building your confidence and using these boosters can help you create a stronger and more positive strategy when trying to face life’s greatest challenges.
ALSO READ: 15 Inspiring Tips to Overcome Life Challenges
4. Appreciate your day-to-day victories.
To overcome your failure, count your victories or successes – no matter how simple or small they are. These victories will help you realize that you’re better than what you think and that you can achieve greater things as long as you have confidence and the right perspective.
Learn to be grateful for the things that you have achieved and everything will follow.
5. Take it one step at a time.
You don’t have to accomplish something amazing overnight. Most of the time, your expectations of needing to prove yourself by achieving some grand goal can be intimidating and can often trigger your fear of failure.
Don’t pressure yourself into being the greatest, to soaring the highest – at least not yet, especially if you’re still struggling to overcome your fear of falling.
6. Learn how to adapt to changes.
Change is the only constant thing in life and having the ability to adapt to changes means having the strength to survive and even excel at everything.
Sometimes, people are afraid of trying not just because they’re afraid to fail but because of that constant attachment to things, people and places. Accept and embrace change and you’ll realize what you’ve been missing all along.
7. Don’t rush perfection.
Patience. You can’t move a mountain by just being confident and free of worries. Even if you think you have fought the fear of failure and won, there are times when you come falling back to the cycle just because you did not get what you’ve expected.
You don’t rush perfection and achieving your goals takes time – and a tremendous amount of working hard and waiting.
8. Overthinking won’t help.
Stop creating realities inside your head especially if you’re not good at sprinkling some positivities into your imagination. Don’t overthink things, and don’t try to explain situations based on your own understanding.
9. Find inspiration from real people.
Consult people who have made it. Read their books, listen to their advice, and look at how they live their lives after overcoming their fear of failure. It’s good to learn from them because unlike the people in the movies, they’re real. Their stories are real and closer to your reality.
10. Show up and just do it.
Just do it, and everything will follow. It’s just the same as taking the first step and finally doing it after nights of doubts and anxiety-driven decisions.
Want to get that dream job but is too scared of the interview? Just show up. Want to apply for a promotion but too afraid of rejection? Just do it.
11. Be bold, be persistent.
Try and try until life gets tired of challenging you. No matter how many times you fail, learn and have the strength to get up.
12. Redefine failure and how it affects your life.
Understand that failure is not that bad. Like what we mentioned in the past section, experiencing failure is not the end of the world. Instead of considering it as an obstacle, think of it as a lesson.
We always learn our lessons the hard way and failure is the best teacher when it comes to learning how to live life without fear.
Lastly and more importantly, START TODAY. Do it TODAY. IF you’re looking for a sign, THIS IS IT.
The only cure is to just drop all your worries and do it. Many of us fail to achieve something just because we are too afraid to even get started. How would you know how far you can go without taking that single step? Why are you so afraid of something that isn’t even there yet? Come on, you know that you’re better than that.
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Photo by Riccardo Bresciani
Just want to say thanks for this.