Holding Back The Fears: Conquering Fears: Part 2

The only thing normally holding many people back—and away from their dreams—is themselves. Last week, we discussed how crippling a lack of self-confidence could be to the person who dreams of success. This week, we are going to talk about another major problem many people find themselves facing: a fear of failure.

A Fear of Failure

To really get to grips with a fear of failure, we first need to understand what “failure” actually means. We all have different definitions of failure, simply because we all have different benchmarks, values and belief systems. A failure to one person might simply be a great learning experience for someone else.

Many of us are terrified of failing, at least some of the time. But fear of failure, which is also known as “atychiphobia,” is a little bit different. It’s when we allow that fear to stop us doing the things that can move us forward to achieve our goals that it becomes crippling.

Fear of failure can be linked to many causes. For instance, having overly-critical or unsupportive parents. Because they were routinely undermined or humiliated in childhood, they carry those negative feelings into adulthood. This is one of the most common causes of “atychiphobia.”

Experiencing a traumatic event at some point in your life can also be a cause. For example, say that several years ago, you gave an important presentation in front of some very important business colleagues, and you performed poorly. The experience might have been so terrible that you became afraid of failing in other things. And you carry that fear even now, years later, even into your old age.

Overcoming a fear of failure is something you can never totally rid yourself of—and you shouldn’t try, as it is important for you to realize that in everything we do, there’s always a chance that we’ll fail. Facing that chance, and embracing it, is not only courageous – it also gives us a fuller, more rewarding life.

If you are afraid of failure, you might be uncomfortable setting goals; but goals help us define where we want to go in life and what we want to achieve. Without goals, we have no sure destination, so to really get to grips with your fear of failure, I would suggest sitting down and making a list of some small goals you’d like to achieve. Make them slightly challenging—but be sure to make these first steps “easy-wins” that will help you boost your confidence.

Try to make your goals tiny steps on the route to a much bigger outcome. Don’t focus on the end picture: getting the promotion, or graduating with honors. Just focus on the next step: introducing yourself to your professor, having a casual chat with your boss, and talking to the guy in the cubicle next to you. That’s it. Go for it.

Dr. Princess Fumi Hancock, DNP, MA, BSN
Your Vision Midwife, Lifestyle Entrepreneur
Radio/TV Host
https://www.periscope.tv/Princessinsub
https://katch.me/PrincessinSub/
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
www.theprincessofsuburbia.com

YOUR VISION TORCH Series
Achieve Your Dreams, Ignite Your Vision, & Re-engineer Your Life Purpose