How do I overcome my fear of failure?

How do I overcome my fear of failure? Well, that’s a great question..

Have you ever had a deep conversation with someone about the importance of making mistakes and failing? I don’t think that it’s spoken about enough. That’s why we have feelings of humiliation, embarrassment and indignation when it happens. Imagine if we shifted our mindset to feeling hopeful if we failed and had to try again. What if we encouraged ourselves to keep going, reciting positive affirmations on our way to success. What would that look like?

I had always been afraid of making mistakes and failing until I made some changes. When you grow up to be one of the few kids in your community who’s raised by strict parents who want a better life for you, there’s no room for slip ups. When you’re surrounded by people who are waiting for you to fail because they can’t imagine you succeeding in life, there’s no room for failure. When you only have one chance at something, you do everything you possibly can to ensure that you succeed, there’s no room for failure. If you’re the first born at home and you have to set an example for your younger siblings, there’s no room for failure.

How do I overcome failure? When do I reach a point in my life where I’m content with who I am and where I’m heading. Less concerned about slip ups and more focused on experience?

Life is all about the experience

You only have one life. You could choose to stay in the same spot and be stagnant so that way you easily avoid upcoming challenges, or you could live your life by getting up everyday and trying. Now that’s the challenging part, fulfilling your dreams, trying new hobbies, starting a new job, discovering ways to pay your bills, working out, passing the hardest exam you’ve ever written, having the courage to tell someone you love them. Everything you do in life is a risk and when you take that risk you discover something new about yourself each time you try. So even when things don’t turn out the way that you would like, tell yourself that it was an experience.

Surround yourself with the right people

You’d be surprised how the people you’re surrounded by affects how you view life. If your circle of friends or family are people who gossip and mock other people that try and have negative mindsets about anything and everything, you’re instinctively going to stoop down to their level and that’s a terrible feeling. However, genuine people who want the best for you could positively change your outlook on life. Imagine loved ones continually cheering you on as you navigate through life, who help you up when you fall down. Loved ones who are focused on their own lives instead of others and work towards their goals. Trust me, that makes a huge difference. Those are the kind of people you want to be surrounded by.

Trust God’s timing

Have you ever gone through a tough time and then right after that something great happens? “Oh that’s why I had to go through that”. Sound familiar? We often plan our lives out  there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that because it gives us a sense of purpose but when God decides to come in and make some changes make sure you’re ready for that because you’re about to learn something. Ask yourself what God is trying to teach you by going through the crooked road instead of the straight or aligned one. That’s why having a relationship with the Lord is so important because He gets to go through these experiences with you. Sometimes He purposely let’s you miss an opportunity to protect you from something. Trust Him.

Believe in yourself

What would your life look like if you had no self doubt? Really think about that. The possibilities are endless. I want you to envision what your life would look like if you believed in yourself. Now keep that mentality and work on your goals. You’ll notice how nothing will stop you from reaching them, not even failure. Self confidence is the sexiest trait you could have because no matter who says what, you know who you are and they’ll respect that.

Never stop trying

Get comfortable with failing when you’re trying new things. When you’re an achiever, you’ll keep going until you get it right. That’s how people become successful. I’ve heard so many stories about people becoming successful “overnight”. We aren’t there when they spend, hours, days, months or even years to get great at something, we just see them become famous or successful and assume they had it easy. We all get 365 days a year, it’s up to us to work on our skills, to work on our purpose.

How do I overcome the fear of failure you ask? Just live life.

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xoxo Shernice