Failure is Just Feedback
People fear failure. This fear causes them to not even attempt certain things because they are afraid they will fail. Fearing failure is ironic because by fearing to take action you virtually guarantee failure.
People are born with only two fears. Fear of loud noises and falling all the others are taught and learned. Some of this fear came from parents, siblings, teachers and friends. They shared with you their fears their limitations and you accepted them. In accepting them you taught yourself to fear taking certain actions and this created failure.
But realize that all experiences are simply learning experiences. All failure is feedback. From each attempt or failure you will receive distinctions and these distinctions will enable you to be better at whatever you do next time.
The biggest successes have also been the people who failed the most. Henry Ford went broke 5 times before he became the success we know today. Walt Disney was fired on one of his first jobs for not being very creative, Steven Spielberg was not able to get into the UCLA film school. Fred Astaire was described as only able to “dance a little”. Harrison Ford was told he would never make it as an actor.
These are just a few examples and there are hundreds more. In order to succeed you must first fail. So how do you overcome this fear?
- First let go of the idea that making a mistake is bad. Realize greatness comes from risk.
- Start small and build your ability to overcome fear. The more you risk in small ways and aren’t destroyed the easier it will be to move onto more consequential actions.
- Remember why you wanted to do something in the first place. For example many athletes fear failure because they no longer focus on the fun of the game and instead obsess about winning and losing.
Using your mind more effectively can make all the difference between success and failure. Remember failure is just feedback and allow that fact to move you past your fears and closer to true success.
