Overcoming fear of failure is very important if you want to succeed in your life.

Fear of failure is something you experience in some phase of your life. But if you let your fear of failure take roots in your mind, you will never taste success.

Why do most of you fear failure?

Failure obviously means lack of success. You are respected by this mercenary world only when you are successful. When you face persistent failures, you are thrust aside as worthless, useless and insignificant.

Overcoming fear of failure is that important to combat these negative impacts it creates in your life.

• Fear of failure makes you depressed and gloomy.
• You give up midway as you easily lose your confidence.
• You never try for your success as you feel you are destined to fail.
• Fear of failure de-motivates you.
• You buckle under the pressure of problems you face in your life.
• You become a recluse, and shy away from people

Can you see how negative you become because of your fear of failure?

Do you know most successful people whom you envy were abject failures in the initial stages of their life?

• Oprah Winfrey
• Walt Disney
• Madonna
• Thomas Edison
• Albert Einstein

These people who attained incredible success in their respective fields failed miserably in their initial stages.

But they never feared their failure. They kept trying until one day they achieved overwhelming success. If they had stopped fighting, they would have gone into obscurity.

Do you know I too experience fear of failure many times in my life?

This blog about self-improvement is my passion. I write about many problems most of us face in our life.

I also write from my personal experiences. Though I write many motivating articles, my blog does not have many viewers.

There are times when I fear that my blog would soon go into obscurity because of the lack of viewers. In my inner mind I feel overshadowed by the more successful bloggers.

When I visit their blogs, I am overawed by the number of subscribers they have. They have thousands of likes in Facebook whereas I have just a few.

Will my blog also be as successful as theirs?

Why are my viewers so few though I write good posts?

Such fears and apprehensions do plague me too. But I never bow my knees to it. “Enough of fearing the success of others. I will keep trying until I succeed” I have told myself.

I know I will succeed one day because I have never stopped trying in spite of my failure as a blogger.

Can you see overcoming fear of failure is very important if you must forge ahead in your life?

Here are simple tricks that can help you in overcoming fear of failure.

1. Do not over-estimate others

Do you over-estimate others?

Never ever do that.

If underestimating yourself is bad, overestimating others is even worse.

When you are overawed by the phenomenal success of others, you feel you are nothing compared to them.

If you put others in a pedestal by being intimidated by the incredible status they enjoy in the society, you will lose your confidence.

When you fear meeting successful people, you might miss many golden opportunities.

Understand that these successful people are just like you and me. The only difference is that they have overcome their negative qualities to achieve fame. You never know that they have to be on their toes to keep their prominence intact.

In their initial failures, successful people hid their fear by putting up with a façade of self-confidence and self-assurance. Their pretense became a habit with them. Gradually their habit of assurance became their second nature.

You too can have their success if you work relentlessly. When you are moving towards your goal, fear of failure will lurk in every nook and corner.

But never look back at your failures. Always look ahead. Your bright future is just awaiting around the corner.

2. Keep trying again and again

You want to hit the jackpot of success in your first attempt. But success never works that way. It is an uphill task.

So, never get cowed down by your initial failures. Understand that success is never easy. If success was easy, you will become smug and complacent about your life.

Your early failures are all precious lessons which will help you to work differently and efficiently.

Of course, you will feel dejected by your failures. But you must keep trying. You must never ever let go.

My sister’s grandson is a delight. I was watching with amazement when he took his first tottering steps. He kept falling down. But he was not fazed. He took his baby steps in spite of his falling down. He never stopped trying. Finally, he was able to walk with confidence.

How could a child be so persistent in walking when he initially kept falling?

His mind did not have any reservations about his capacity. He was fearless and kept trying even when he hurt himself in the process.

Be relentless like a child. Try and try again until you succeed.

Overcoming your fear of failure is the only way to keep going for your success.

3. Train your mind to be courageous

Your mind is like a pet dog. It will do what you command it to do. But most of you do not understand the power of your mind.

You never realize that it will replicate your commands.

Sadly, you give only negative commands to your mind.  When you say “I cannot do it,” your mind meekly accepts it.

When your mind is closed to optimistic thoughts, fear enters your mind like a thief. It steals your will power, your capability and your total potential.

What do you do to protect your house from thieves?

You secure it with locks, alarm systems to make your house impregnable and safe against any theft. Likewise, you should secure your mind against fear, apprehension, anxiety and pessimistic assumptions.

It is a simple trick in overcoming fear of failure.

4. Fear is nothing, but an assumption

Do you know your fear is nothing but a manifestation of your imagination?

You link your present failures to your future also. You wrongly assume that your failure will haunt you forever.

Why do you feel that your failure will be a continuation?

Failures make your life very gloomy and frightening.

Persistent failures always shatter your morale. You become so cowed down by the devastating impact of your failures that you stop thinking about your success. You begin to think that your failures will plague you throughout your life.

Fear of failure is like standing in the darkness. You are too frightened to move as you feel that you will tread on something dreadful.

Why are horror movies mostly filmed in the dark?

Darkness gives an air of fearful suspense.

It is the same in your life. Fear is a darkness you should avoid.  

Overcoming fear of failure needs your assertiveness and confidence. Your self-confidence is like a torch which will pierce the darkness around you.

So, refrain from making negative assumptions.

5. Walk through your fear

I was watching a buffalo being chased by a lion in Animal Planet.

The poor buffalo was running for his dear life. I thought that the buffalo was a goner before the mighty lion.

But what happened next amazed me. Suddenly the chased buffalo became the chaser. He turned back and started chasing the powerful lion.

Now it was the turn of the lion to run to save himself from the powerful hooves of the buffalo. The lion hurriedly got on the lower branch of a tree to escape the buffalo.

The terror in the face of the lion surprised me.  The lion got down only when the buffalo lost interest in him and went away.

Can see that when you are fearless you can always win?

If the buffalo had given in to his fear for the lion, he would have provided a sumptuous meal to the pride of lions. But when he overcame his fear and attacked the lion he won.

So, always face your fear of failure. Never let it germinate in your mind and take roots in your life. If you do so, success can never be yours.

Conclusion

“When your back is to the wall and you are facing fear head on, the only way is forward and through it” – Stephen Richards.

Can you see overcoming fear of failure is easy provided you fight against it?

So, never ever shirk away from your fear of failure.

Go towards your fear. You will be amazed when you see it taking a step back. Each of your confident steps makes your fear take furtive steps backwards until it disappears from your sight.

When you do it, you can easily forge ahead to achieve the success which had eluded you so far.