Whenever we hear the F word…okay not that F word, another one…Failure, we always relate it to negative, pessimistic ideas, but why is failure perceived to be bad? Besides the obvious fact that failing doesn’t feel particularly good, we tend to have a fear of failure. The truth is, failure offers us a chance to learn from the experience, it teaches us to be resilient and allows us to adapt and fine tune our way on our road to success. Failure is an opportunity for us to begin again more intelligently. It’s important for us to realize that failure is pretty much inevitable and should be anticipated since it is truly a part of life. And the most important thing to remember is that failure will eventually lead to success, if we don’t give up and stay flexible in our approach. The great thing about failure is that it’s completely up to us how we choose to see it. WE get to choose what we think and how we feel about it, whether we want to see it as a bad thing or if we want to see it as a good thing. Examining the significance of failure and applying the power of choice will help us to conquer the fear of failing.

The fear of failing is among the biggest fears people have. One of the major differences between successful and unsuccessful men and women is that successful men and women conquer their fear of failure. They know that they need to make a few mistakes in order to move toward their objective. They know that failure is not the end result and that it’s a part of the process for success. Unsuccessful people look at mistakes as being permanent as well as taking it personally by having feelings of incompetence and inadequacy. The fear of failure consists of two elements. The first is the fear of letting ourselves down. The second is the fear of vulnerability by looking like a failure to everyone else. We sometimes worry too much about what others think, and forget the most crucial thing which is the reason we’re even doing whatever it is we set out to do. Most of our fears are about things that haven’t happened yet, or never will happen, which is called worry and worry is nothing but wasted energy. It’s wasted energy because if we have control to influence whatever it is we’re worried about then we need to focus that energy on the solution and if we don’t have control, then no amount of worry will change anything. Either way, it makes so sense to worry.

Worrying is counter productive at any level and so is that the lack of action. When we worry, we become “paralyzed” by all the “what if“ thoughts, which stops the chance for any progress. We need to learn to harness our fears to our benefit. Knowing that the fear of failure is holding us back is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough, because knowing is not doing. Action is that the best solution to bring an idea or plan to life and doing will give us what we need to dispel fear as well as give us confidence. Another Important thing to remember about failing is that failing means we are developing. Each time we try something brand new or we face a challenge, we run the potential risk of failing. Failing is okay as long as we learn from the experience and make adjustments. We need to see failure as a learning experience and an opportunity to get feedback so that we can adapt to a new plan of attack. Looking at failure in a more positive light will allow us to overcome our fears and take the necessary action toward our goals.

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