Epic Fail

The fear of failing is so strong in so many people that it cripples them from self-improvement. I, too, have fears of failing but I rarely shy away from going out on a limb simply because the limb might break once I get out there.

Others have to be coaxed out on the limb because they don’t want to hurt themselves. The degree of coaxing varies depending on the situation, the person, and the limb.

Some people never let go of the trunk while others only need a nudge or two to move farther out. For those who let fear of failure dominate your decisions, I have to ask: what is there to be afraid of?

I’ll get hurt physically, emotionally or financially?

That doesn’t scare me much because I’ve always thought, regardless of how successful I am just being alive brings the same possibilities.

Others will think I’m less than?

That doesn’t scare me much because I know I’m not. If anything I’m average, and that’s fine with me.

Others will laugh?

That doesn’t scare me much because I know the sting eventually goes away, and afterwards I can always say that I tried, which has been something I’ve valued since I was a kid.

Some people don’t try so that when others laugh at them they can claim the result was from a lack of effort rather than a character flaw. That “too cool for school” approach never made sense to me. Trying is far better than not trying, in my opinion, even if the result is unfavorable.

Others will think I’m dumb?

That doesn’t scare me much because I know I am, on a whole bunch of things, but someone smarter than me once wrote that knowing what you don’t know is the key to a whole life, so that’s always a pick-me-up. Plus, I feel pretty smart because I read that somewhere, once.

The Answers Are In the Question

The potential answers to these questions are what keep us from going out on a limb and giving life our best shot, which often creates the outcomes we were afraid would happen in the first place.

For those who want to conquer your fears but have no idea how to start, know there are many lessons we can learn when we fail.

Failing Is An Effective Teacher

Failure is the middle school teacher you hated but who also happened to be the one who taught you the most.

We need successes along the way to keep us motivated, but failure from time to time can be an awesome motivator and an enduring reminder of what not to do in the future.

If You Fall Get Back Up

For those who understand there is much to be learned from failing and are working every day to conquer your fears of failing, I applaud you and encourage you to keep at it.

Falling is scary, and depending on how high we are, the threat of falling can paralyze us or cause us to make poor decisions. Remember that sometimes the thought of falling can be more terrifying than the fall itself. Don’t let fear steal your courage.

If you’ve taken a big fall, try climbing small trees to boost your confidence and help keep you going forward until you can get back on the horse. With some practice and more confidence, you’ll soon be tackling the Red Woods again.

The Ground Level

For those who are so afraid of failure that you don’t climb trees, you must come to terms with the fact that you will never go higher than ground level.

To be clear, when it comes to self-improvement whether you stay at ground level or climb a thousand trees makes no difference to me. Just make sure that, if you do choose to stay at ground level, don’t stand under my tree and cast stones at my efforts. If my limb does break, it could very easily be you who cushions my fall.