How to overcome the fear of failure?

Fear of failure is one of the most dreadful fears in our lives. One of the biggest reasons people don’t aim for something higher in their lives is due to the fear of failure. In spite of having the immense potential within themselves, many people fear to take a single step towards their goals. The fear of failure becomes so prominent that, they forsake the very idea of materializing their dreams.

We live in a society which conditions us to believe that being a failure in any walk of life is akin to being a failure in the entire life. And big blot and a question mark over an individual’s worth and capacity. This pervasive mindset prevents the people from taking risks in their lives and encourages them to settle for something less than what they actually deserve.

The failure of other people becomes a benchmark to decide their limitations and capability. They fear to come out of their comfort zone and don’t prefer to take the path less travelled. Because that path is more challenging and full of thorns. It is full of many visible and invisible obstacles. It’s risky and difficult to figure out, so much so that, some people fade into oblivion. Again, it is fear of failure which stops them from coming out of their comfort zone.

And, it seems even more insurmountable when they see many other people around them fail in the same venture they have been thinking for a long time to try their hands on. But the best thing about having chosen this path is that it takes them to big heights. To those pinnacles of success where a few people can only dream of. As it has been rightly said,“The harder the battle, the greater the victory”.

Only a few people are courageous enough to take this huge leap of faith. Only a few have the strong self-belief in their ability and determination to put their everything into their efforts. Instead of focusing upon those lakhs of people who couldn’t succeed, despite having every possible luxury available and letting the fear of failure grow, they look up to those handfuls of people who succeeded despite living in deprived conditions while defying all the odds and challenges. They learn from the mistakes of those who couldn’t succeed, but it doesn’t stop them from trying.

The risks, they take, don’t emanate from their whimsical and immature vision, but they are well thought out and calculated. They know the price one has to pay for being among those top few people. And, it’s not that the thoughts of failure don’t cross their minds or they don’t have the fear of failure. Afterall they are also human beings. And, they too have fear of failure. But, what separates them from the rest of the people is their ability to use that same fear as a fuel to work even harder like never before.

They know that even if they don’t get what they desire due to some reasons beyond their control, they wouldn’t let their failure define themselves. Because, when one door closes, another opens for sure. All it requires is the patience, awareness and ability to grab the right opportunity at the right time. They know that what they will learn through their experiences is something which none of the university in this world can teach anyone. Hence, fear of failure is fine as long as you are able to transform that fear into a source of motivation.