4 Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of Failure

Failure is something that no one wants to have happen to them. In reality, a lot more people deal with this than you may think.

In school, you may have failed a homework assignment or a test. Failure may have also come while practicing a recreational activity like a sport or a musical instrument.

There are a lot of opportunities in the world, which means there are also a lot of chances for failure. A fear of failure can affect someone’s daily life and routine. Even causing some individuals to not try certain things or complete certain activities.

Here are four tips for overcoming your fear of failure.

1. You’re Not Alone

Everyone experiences fear and also a fear of failure from time to time. It’s important to know that you’re not alone if you’ve been struggling with these emotions. Fear is a common and completely normal human emotion. It’s just as common as other emotions like happiness, sadness, or anger.

Fear of failure doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong. In fact, having a little fear now and then means that you want to do things the right way. Even if that doesn’t happen the first time around, though, you can always try again.

2. Channel Failure into Learning

Fear doesn’t mean that you’re bad at something or already failed at doing something. Even if you failed the first time around, you can always try again until you get it. There will be a lot of firsts throughout your lifetime. You’re not expected to be a professional or skilled at everything, especially on the first try.

Allow yourself to start from the beginning, learn, and grow. Failure doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Fall down seven times, stand up eight. As long as you keep trying, practicing, and teaching yourself, you can turn that failure around into a learning lesson.

3. Start Journaling

A journal is a great way to get all of those anxious thoughts and emotions from your brain down to the pages of a notebook instead. Not only does journaling make you feel better at the moment, it’s also a great tool to look back on later. You can use a journal to figure out what’s driving that fear. You can also use it to weigh out the positives and negatives of the challenging times you’re going through or the things you’re trying to overcome.

Use your journal to think about ways that you can get over your fear and use it to drive you to accomplish what you’re looking to do instead.

4. Make SMART Goals

Goals can be scary, especially if it involves trying to tackle a large project. Try breaking up those goals or your to-dos into smaller, more manageable chunks. Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Having these guidelines in place can help diminish some of those fears and make you feel like your goals can actually be accomplished.

Next Steps

Failure is part of life. It doesn’t mean that your book is over, it may just mean there’s the start of a new chapter within it. Failure is something that every person in the world will experience. A lot of people use failure as a tool to learn and grow. If you’re having a hard time overcoming your fear of failure, it may be time to reach out for additional support. A licensed and trained mental health professional will help you manage those negative thoughts and feelings, increase your confidence, and help you move forward in your life again. Please don’t hesitate to reach out today to set up a consultation for anxiety therapy.