Fear is one of the most destructive emotions a person can experience. Fear stops us from taking risks and can keep us from living our lives to the fullest.
For many people, fear of failure is one of the biggest fears they face. But it doesn’t have to be this way!
There are plenty of ways to overcome the fear of failure, and today we’re going to share the best ones! Keep reading for our best tips on how to overcome your fear of failing and start living your best life!
Quick Answer
To overcome the fear of failure it is important to focus on things that you can control. You should look at positive outcomes and break larger goals into smaller goals. You should also use positive affirmations to stay motivated. It is also important to plan for alternatives, find a mentor, get feedback and take small steps every day.
Contents
1. Focus on Things You Can Control.
It is no use worrying about things that are outside of your control. If you focus on the things that you can do something about, then you’ll feel more empowered. People who worry less perform better because they channel their mental resources to what matters most. It can be distracting to focus on things you have no control over.
2. Break It Into Smaller Goals
When you’re trying something new, sometimes it’s easier to break down the big task into smaller parts. For instance, if you want to start a new workout routine but feel scared because of your lack of knowledge and skills, then don’t look at the whole picture. Instead, focus on learning how to do one thing: like putting together an exercise playlist or knowing how to properly stretch. Once you have mastered one thing, move onto the next task.
3. Think of Past Failures as Stepping Stones to Success
Sometimes, failure is unavoidable. You can spend your entire life trying to avoid failing but it will still happen from time to time. Even when you do fail, it’s useful to reflect on why you failed and what you can learn from the experience. If you find that you’re getting easily discouraged after every failure, try looking at it as a learning opportunity.
4. Give Yourself Permission to Try Again
Trying again after you fail shows a certain type of resilience that not everyone has. It takes courage to get up and give it another go after failing at something. However, this is often what separates the eventual success stories from those who continue to live in their comfort zones. The next time you experience failure, try giving yourself permission to try again.
5. Focus Only on the Next Step
When you feel overwhelmed by a big project or long-term goal, look only at the next step in line. Once you’ve accomplished this task, congratulate yourself but keep your focus on the next thing. This can help to prevent discouragement and overwhelm. After all, you’re not expected to finish an entire project in one sitting!
6. Think What You Will Miss if You Don’t Start
Instead of thinking about how tough and scary the road is in front of you, think about what you will be missing out on if you never start. What do you want to experience? What will you regret once it’s too late? Let these things motivate and inspire you rather than fill your mind with doubt and fear.
7. Don’t Try to Be Perfect
It’s tempting to try and be perfect, but it’s not realistic. We all know that there is no such thing as perfection, so don’t stress out over doing things perfectly. There will always be and opportunity to improve, so don’t get too caught up in the beginning.
8. Don’t Over Analyze the Situation
It’s important to know the details of what you’re facing, but over thinking can drive you crazy. You will literally drive yourself insane if you constantly ask questions like “What if this happens?” or “What if that happens?”. The more you focus on these hypotheticals, the less time you’ll have to come up with real plans and solutions.
9. Ask for Help When You Need It
No one knows everything! If you find a task daunting or feel like you don’t have all the knowledge to complete it, then ask for help. You may end up with better results than you ever imagined. For instance, if you are planning to start a business but don’t have any experience in the field, then ask for advice from people who do. This is an easy way to find out if you are on the right track or not.
10. Focus on What You Will Gain in Experience
Thinking about failure in terms of lost time can be scary. Instead, think of it as gaining valuable experience that will help you grow. Even if the end result doesn’t work out, you are still one step closer to achieving your dreams. Learning how to manage stress is a valuable life skill that allows you to deal with even bigger obstacles.
11. Listen to Motivational Speeches
There are millions of incredible speeches on YouTube that you can listen to at anytime! Look up motivation, inspiration, or even specific ones for overcoming fear of failure! You only have to do a quick search to find hours of great material. That way, whenever you need a boost, you can listen to some amazing people tell you why it is worth it and how they succeeded!
12. Believe in Yourself
Believe in yourself and your abilities. If you believe you can do something great, then you will do it! If you look at new opportunities with doubt and skepticism, then you won’t ever succeed. You will talk down your abilities and prevent yourself from growing as a person.
13. Take Small Steps Everyday
One of the best ways to overcome your fear of failure is by taking small steps every day. If you know that you want to become healthier, but feel overwhelmed by all these changes, then start out by making one healthy choice each day. Do you want to eat more vegetables? Then try adding one vegetable dish into your diet today. You could also try taking a few minutes to meditate or getting some light exercise, like walking your pet. Just don’t expect these changes to happen overnight.
14. Listen to Motivational Music
Take a moment and listen to some of your favorite music. Now imagine this: you’ve just failed an exam that was pretty important for getting into the university of your dreams. And that is what you’re listening to…Don’t do it! Bad feelings can be enhanced by certain types of music, so make sure the songs you listen to remind you of the good things in life. Music that helps you focus on your goals and makes you feel empowered can be a great way to increase motivation and boost self-esteem.
15. Use Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations can help you get in the right mindset, and make you feel more confident about yourself. When we tell ourselves negative things, we tend to believe them and we let them affect our thoughts. By telling yourself positive affirmations, you’ll be able to conquer your fear of failure by replacing those negative thoughts with more empowering ones.
For example: instead of thinking “I will never be successful enough” you could tell yourself “with each try I get better”. The more often you practice this technique, the more empowered you’ll feel.
16. Stop Playing It Safe!
If you are always playing it safe, then you’ll never get the chance to see what you are really capable of. When we keep things inside and don’t express ourselves, there’s no way to know how amazing we can be! People who aren’t afraid try new things, explore new places, take chances, and make bold choices. Life is for living, so get started!
17. Celebrate Your Successes
It can be hard to celebrate our successes because we don’t want to stop striving towards more achievements. But if you don’t protect your victories and acknowledge your wins, then you’ll never truly appreciate them. Remember to celebrate your wins, even if it’s just with a pat on the back and a high-five. Celebrating our successes and learning from our fails is how we grow as people.
18. Nobody Is Perfect. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others!
Comparing yourself to others isn’t productive, and it won’t make you feel better anyway. You are YOU, and you need to make sure that YOU are happy with YOU! If you can’t be happy by yourself, then all your comparisons will leave you feeling miserable.
19. Look at Positive Outcomes
When you’re feeling scared, it’s easy to focus on the worst case scenario. Focusing on what could go wrong won’t make you feel better! You need to practice looking for things that could go right if you really want to overcome your fear of failure.
20. Plan for Alternatives
It’s good to come up with alternative plans in case your first idea isn’t as successful as you expected. For example, if you’re worried about failing an exam and want to study more hours before the exam, then plan for alternatives. Always have a back-up plan because sometimes things aren’t going your way no matter how much you prepare.
21. Find a Mentor Who Understands You
Sometimes, it’s hard to ask for help. It can feel embarrassing or shameful when you are in trouble. This is why sometimes having a mentor who understands you is so important. A mentor could be your parent, family member, teacher or friend. They will understand the path you’re on and they will have more knowledge about what worked for them. They will be able to support you in your journey.
22. Stop Regretting the Past
As they say, “hindsight is always 20/20”. It is easy to look back and regret what we did or didn’t do. It’s important that you realize that there is no point in looking back and trying to change the past. You can only learn from it and move forward.
23. Try Your Best but Don’t Beat Yourself Up if Things Don’t Work Out
One of the best things to remember is that you are only human. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, things don’t work out like you want them to. This doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the world! It might just mean that you need to try again in a different way next time.
24. Get Feedback as Often as You Can
It’s good to get feedback all the time. You can ask your friends or family members though they might not always give you an honest answer. If you want more accurate feedback, then I suggest that you talk to someone who is outside of your circle like a career coach. They will be able to provide you with objective and unbiased advice that will allow you to grow.
25. Put Yourself in Challenging but Manageable Situations
If you want to overcome the fear of failure, then you need to put yourself in challenging but manageable situations. You can’t expect to get out of your comfort zone overnight! Instead, you need to take baby steps and increase the difficulty level little by little. If you want to run a marathon someday, then don’t start off running 26 miles right away. Start by running one mile every day, and improve from there.
26. Build a Support System
If you feel like failure is inevitable, it might be wise to build a support system. This could consist of all the people who are cheering you on or giving you constructive criticism. You should surround yourself with these people because they will keep you grounded and give you the positive encouragement that you need.
27. Don’t Give Up Easily
Many people allow fear to dictate their lives. If success is what you want, then it’s time to stop giving up at the first sign of difficulty. It takes hard work and dedication to achieve your dreams. If you give up too easily, then you’ll never reach your full potential!
28. Know Your Reason for Trying Something New
If you are trying something new, it is wise to reflect on why you are doing so. Think about your main reason for wanting to try something. For instance, if you want to work out more often then the most obvious reason might be that you want to lose weight. Once you have identified your primary motivation, remember this when fear starts to try and creep in.
29. Just Go for It!
Once you have reflected on your primary motivation and made a plan to achieve it, just go for it! If you’re too afraid to try something new, then expect to never get anywhere. As Nike says: JUST DO IT.
30. Celebrate your losses too!
If you are afraid of failing, then it’s probably because you’ve thought about how much it would hurt. However, feeling bad after a failure is not always the answer and sometimes we should celebrate our losses too! If you try something and fall short or fail to meet your goal but learned valuable lessons in the process, then it is worth celebrating.
Wrap Up
Everyone experiences fear of failure at some point in their lives. It’s a natural reaction to the potential for pain, embarrassment and disappointment. For some, this fear can be debilitating and prevent them from taking risks or trying new things.
The best way to overcome the fear of failure is by removing all of your emotions and opinions about your fears and focusing only on the next step you need to take. This way, you are able to remove yourself from the fear of failure and look at it objectively.
Let me know in the comments what you think are some other great ways to overcome the fear of failure!