Fear of failure prevents us from embarking on projects that are close to our hearts. Yes, we’re afraid of making mistakes and finding ourselves at a dead end. So how can we dare to take the plunge despite our fear of failure? Here are 10 tips to help you get started with peace of mind.

1 – Accept that failure is part of the learning process

In our society, we abhor failure, because it scares us and hurts us. Especially to our egos.

Indeed, failure is an opportunity for us to criticize ourselves severely. Yes, we think that if we’ve failed, it’s because we’re not up to scratch, and never will be.

So, yes, failure tells us that we’re not up to scratch, but it doesn’t tell us that this will always be the case and that we should give up.

In fact, failure is part of the learning process.

In other words, failure is the best way to learn.

That’s why failure tells us: beware, right now and in this precise area, you’re not up to scratch, so take the time to learn what you need to learn, and try again!

When the fear of failure becomes too great, remember that failure means learning and starting again. No more, no less.

2 – Fear of failure: seek education

All too often, when we face an obstacle, we only see the negative side of it. Yes, we only see what the obstacle is preventing us from doing.

But we could live with failure in a different way. Yes, we could learn from it.

What does my failure teach me? What is the lesson?

In fact, to stop being afraid of failure is to always look for the teaching behind every obstacle.

3 – Fear of failure: persevere

When faced with failure, we tend to give up, believing that failure is definitive, that it’s telling us to stop!

In fact, failure is telling us to start again, but better!

In other words, to stop being afraid of failure is to choose to carry on, to persevere.

It means daring to start again!

Ultimately, the question we have to ask ourselves in the event of failure is: what better thing can I do than start again?

Indeed, when you think about it, if your project is really close to your heart, then yes, there’s nothing better to do than persevere!

4 – Be creative

Failure is an opportunity to be creative. In fact, since school, we’ve been taught to believe that things can only be done one way. But there are a thousand ways of doing things.

In other words, there’s you and your own way of doing things. Trust yourself!

Finally, not being afraid of failure means allowing yourself to be creative, to ask yourself: how do I want to achieve this result?

In fact, stop looking left and right, and do it your way. Always with your heart, though. (smile)

5 – Fear of failure: not listening to others

When we have a project that’s close to our hearts, we spend a lot of time asking for advice left and right. Sometimes, we don’t even need to ask for advice at all.

Our fear of failure stems largely from this tendency to listen to others. In fact, the more we listen to others, the less we listen to ourselves.

And yet, when we fail, there’s only one person we need to turn to: ourselves. To see the teaching, to find the strength to start again and to be creative.

So listen less to others and more to yourself, because this project is yours and this life is yours. In other words, nobody knows what’s best for you but you.

6 – Getting back to basics

The fear of failure is strong, because we take failure personally. Yes, it damages our self-esteem, our self-image.

So, when you fail – and you’ll fail a few times (laughs) – learn to get back to basics.

What are the essentials? Life, happiness, you! Being alive, breathing. Nature, birds singing, the sunset…

Your projects are very important and failure hurts, that’s for sure. But none of this is the only part of your life and the person you are.

Your life is more than that and you are more than that.

So breathe and keep going.

7 – Be patient

We don’t always realize it, but we’ve always been lulled into thinking about dazzling success stories. Yes, we think that if we’re going to succeed with our project, it has to happen fast, otherwise it’s not for us.

Unfortunately, although there are some dazzling success stories, there are also plenty of success stories that have taken time, people who have achieved success after many failures.

That’s why it’s important to accept that your project can (and probably will) take time to materialize. It’s perfectly normal!

Be patient and persevere.

Remember: what better thing do you have to do anyway?

8 – Fear of failure: make do with what you’ve got

When we embark on a project, we don’t always realize it, but we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. In fact, we want everything, right now.

That’s why we fail so often. We want too much. We don’t want to go through stages, we want to get there right away.

That’s why, in order to stop being afraid of failure, we must learn to be content with what we have, i.e. to be content with the results we have.

Yes, we expected more, but maybe the results we’ve got are better than we think.

Let’s not set the bar too high and learn to appreciate what we have.

9 – Never stop dreaming big

However, just because we have to be content with our current results doesn’t mean we should stop dreaming big.

After all, life is all about balance:

“I feel gratitude for my present, while dreaming of an even better future.”

In other words, I live in acceptance, while motivating myself to take action to experience more joy and gratitude.

10 – Remember that life is the path, not the destination

Finally, to stop being afraid of failure, it’s essential to change the way we look at things.

Too often, when we have a project or an objective, we only see the finish line, without taking the time to experience the journey with serenity.

In fact, we’re impatient all the way, frustrated and afraid.

Yet we have another choice to make: that of serenity and gratitude.

Because the most important thing is not the destination, but the path.

In fact, when you think about it, we don’t even know where it’s all going to lead us, we don’t really know the destination, but on the other hand, we can learn to savour every day, every seed sown, every obstacle overcome.

The choice is ours!

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to keep your commitments: 6 steps to achieving your goals
Discover Never give up on your dreams!: 12 tips for making them come true

I recommend this inspiring book:

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
Nike co-founder Phil Knight reveals the trials and tribulations he faced in creating the iconic brand. These memoirs take a frank look at entrepreneurship, risk-taking and perseverance.
It’s one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. You should read it once if you’re in business of any kind. It covers all the ups and downs of the business world. Or you should read it anyway for the definitive motivation it will give you by reducing any fear standing in your way!

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself