Fear of failure is keeping you small

Taking the time to understand what you would do if you knew you could not fail is essential for your creative growth.

Failure is painful and it is tempting to stay safe in the comfort zone, but it is essential to keep pushing boundaries, or you will stay stuck.

When we think of what we could do if we weren’t afraid of failure, we become excited by the possibilities and the potential for growth. Then fear emerges and we self-sabotage before we start, or give up part-way through the new project.

If you have a fear of failure, it might show up in one of these ways:

Resistance or low self-confidence

This usually manifests itself as anxiety, or a reluctance to try new things or start new projects. Low self-confidence can show up as negative self-talk, or have us spending days and months in the ‘planning phase’, and without ever taking action.

Self-sabotage

This usually manifests itself as procrastination and avoidance when it comes to taking action or finishing new projects. It can also show up as perfectionism which means you won’t start or finish something because it is never going to be good enough.

All of these avoidance techniques are socially acceptable ways to mask our fear of failure. Perfectionists often wear their tendencies as a badge of honour and are horrified when you call it fear, but the amygdala has developed very sophisticated…