How to Overcome Your Fear of Failure
Nobody likes to fail. And yet, at some point in our lives, we’ll all experience it. Fortunately, there are ways to learn from failure and overcome it. Every day, people experience a range of emotions that can be both positive and negative. And sometimes, these emotions can affect one’s ability to function at work. Fear is a common emotion that can seriously immobilize people from performing well at their job. Here are five ways professionals can overcome the fear of failure for the sake of career success according to entrepreneur Alexander Djerassi.
1. Understand fear is natural
First and foremost, it’s important to understand that fear is a natural emotion. Everyone experiences fear at some point in their lives and different levels. It’s important to realize that the feeling of fear doesn’t necessarily mean something bad will happen. We learn through failure and develop resilience to overcome it most of the time.
2. Face fears head-on
When we face our fears head-on, we can overcome them faster than trying to ignore them or avoid them at all costs. It’s important to tell oneself that they can do their best under any circumstance, no matter what happens. Being prepared with plans B and C will help cope well should plan A fail at some point in time. More importantly, please take advantage of opportunities, whether they’re big or small, as they can help you grow in your career and as a person in general.
3. Focus on what matters
Sometimes when we feel gripped by fear or anxiety, some things drain our energy away, such as worrying over small matters such as what others may think about us or getting bogged down by work-related issues that aren’t that critical. It’s important to focus on what matters most, whether a significant other, family and friends, job, or career. Getting distracted by so many little things will make it hard for us to function at work and in life in general.
4. Get surrounded by positive people
Sometimes fear can be contagious. Having a support system of people, we trust who can help us through tough times or give advice can help boost our mood and make us want to move forward instead of sticking somewhere in the past where fear or anxiety has gotten the better of us. It’s important to stay positive as much as possible no matter what happens in life, as every obstacle is an opportunity to learn and grow stronger as an individual.
5. Find a balance between work-life
All work and no play will never get you anywhere. The key is finding that fine line between work and personal time that allows us to be productive at work yet not have the stress of deadlines hanging over our heads for the rest of the day after leaving the office. Whether it’s scheduling one hour per week for fun activities or changing to a more flexible schedule, we have to make time for ourselves to function at our best.
In conclusion, fear and anxiety can be very daunting feelings. According to Alexander Djerassi, being prepared with a plan of action, whether looking for ways to handle our stress or taking measures to prepare for a worst-case scenario, we can avoid letting fear and anxiety get the best of us.