Have you ever been so afraid of failing at something that you decided not to try it at all?

🔵 “I need to do more research before I create my online course.”

🔵 “I tried to move into a different niche once and it didn’t work out. It’s just not meant to be.”

🔵 “It’s not realistic to have that big influencer on my podcast, so why even bother?”

That’s what you tell yourself to rationalise why you’re not going for your big business dreams. But deep down, you know it: they’re just excuses. 

What’s really stopping you from taking action is the fear of failure.

Why Do You Experience The Fear Of Failure?

Building a successful business is scary. You might create a product no one wants. Do a webinar that bombs. Get rejected by publishers. Lose money. Make promises you can’t deliver. There are so many ways this could go wrong….

Your brain hates uncertainty. When you think of doing something new, your brain looks for past evidence you’ll succeed. If it can’t find it (how can it when you’ve never done it before?), it’ll consider it as a threat to avoid at all costs.

This is an evolutionary mechanism designed to keep you safe from venturing into forests alone where you could be killed by saber-toothed tigers or getting exiled from your community back when that meant certain death.

Most of the “threats” in our modern society aren’t threats at all. Failing may cause discomfort, disappointment and pain – nothing more. 

But your brain doesn’t know it. And so, it tells you it’s safer to stay where you are, daydreaming of what could be instead of taking a chance and risking failing in the real world.

The catch? Putting your dream on hold feels safe in the short term. In the long run, you’re setting yourself up for a lifetime of unhappiness and regret… 

Related: How To Deal With Uncertainty About The Future

How Do You Experience Fear Of Failure?

Fear of failure shows up in lots of different ways, including:

👉 Negative self-talk

👉 Low self-esteem

👉 Overthinking

👉 Perfectionism

👉 Procrastination

👉 Reluctance to try new things

👉 Self-deprecation (like not accepting compliments)

👉 Self-sabotage (like not following through on your plans)

👉 Talking yourself out of opportunities you don’t feel qualified for

If you’re experiencing any of these, you’re not alone. Fear of failure is universal. We all have it – and we all can overcome it. Here’s how:

Related: 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Success

How To Overcome The Fear Of Failure

1. Adopt A Toddler’s Mindset

Have you ever seen a toddler learning to walk? They stand up on their tiny little legs, move a couple of tentative first steps, and… fall down on the floor. Again and again and again…

Imagine if their parents said: “Oh no, you just fell down again! This walking thing isn’t for you. You should keep crawling for the rest of your life.”

It’s insane, right? And yet, that’s exactly what happens as you grow up. You try something once, it doesn’t work out as planned, and give up.

Give yourself permission to act like a toddler. Every time you fall, get yourself up again until you master it.

The only real failure is not to try at all.

Related: How Adopting A Beginner’s Mindset Is Key To Success

2. There Is No Failure – Only Feedback

Failure isn’t a sign to give up. It’s feedback on how to succeed.

When I started working as a freelance writer years ago, I had lots of meetings with potential clients – but they all refused to work with me. Instead of getting discouraged, I got curious. I asked them why they said no and what I could do to improve. I then tweaked my approach accordingly. Three months later, I signed up my first paying client! Woo hoo!

It was only possible because I saw failure as feedback and was able to refine my proposals and interview skills until I got it right.

Related: It’s Not Failure. It’s Feedback.

3. Detach Your Failures From Your Identity

How do you talk to yourself when you fail at something? Most people take failure so personally, they tell themselves: “I’m a failure.” They can’t disconnect the outcome of their action from their self-worth.

But, you are NOT your failures. They say nothing about who you are as a person.

As you know now, failure is there to show you what went wrong, so you can take a different approach and succeed. Don’t take it personally. Take it as feedback.

Related: How To Reprogramme Your Subconscious Mind For Success

4. Analyse All Potential Outcomes

You fear failure because you fear the unknown.

When your brain can’t predict what’s going to happen, it conjures up all kinds of negative scenarios to keep you stuck in your comfort zone.

But these negative scenarios aren’t real. In fact, they’re just as likely to happen as the best case scenario. I’d argue the best case scenario is even more likely to happen because you’ll do everything it takes to reach your goals!

Don’t let the fear of what will never happen stop you from making your business dreams your every day reality.

Now your brain knows you won’t die even if the worst case scenario happened, you’ll feel safer in taking action towards your goals.

Related: Are You Already Living Your Worst-Case Scenario?

Wrapping It Up

Fear of failure is natural – but it doesn’t have to stop you. Acknowledge your fear, reframe failure into feedback and make a plan B in case things don’t go according to plan. Then take action. Your 6+ figures business is waiting for you.

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