Three Reminders To Overcome Fear Of Failure

During my last few years of college, I was a student reporter for my university’s newspaper, The Western Herald. Every week I was assigned an article to write. I was nervous as a newcomer, but I knew it would be a great opportunity. The same week I joined, I was assigned my first article. I wrote it and submitted it, even though I was less than impressed with what I wrote. Thankfully, my editors never expected the “perfect article.” Instead, they were looking for consistent progress. Over time with practice, my articles improved.

I had to write several articles before I started writing articles that I thought were pretty good. Although had I let the first articles that I wrote discourage me from writing, I would have never been able to improve. Many times when starting something new, I’ve used perfectionism as an excuse not to take action. The truth is perfectionism can be disguised as fear of failure. If you’re like me and struggle with perfectionism disguised as fear of failure, here are some helpful reminders to help you overcome your fears and start making progress.

IF YOU DON’T START, YOU CAN’T IMPROVE

The fear of failure keeps many people from going after their goals. No one likes to fail. The reality is that when you start something new, there will always be some element of fear or doubt. What matters is how you learn to push through the uncertainty and move forward. When I get nervous about starting something, I’ll convince myself that I’m not ready. I will think of tons of tasks that I need to do to feel ready. But, deep down, I know I’m just procrastinating. Can you relate? Typically, what stops many of us from taking action is limiting beliefs. What I’m learning to do is embrace the certainty of mistakes. Once you start something new, you can only get better from there. Focus on progress, not perfection. Progress is what will give you momentum to keep going.

ENJOY THE PROCESS, NOT JUST THE OUTCOME

Whenever you feel like the fear of failure or “perfectionism” is stopping you from moving forward, find a way to love the process more than the outcome. Before I was officially offered the position at my university’s newspaper, I came into the interview excited to improve my writing and gain hands-on experience in journalism. If I had started with unrealistic expectations, I would have probably quit before I even had the chance to improve. I learned so much during my time at The Western Herald. Interviewing different people and covering various events on and off campus made me more confident as a writer and communicator. I gained more than I expected from working at the newspaper because I loved the process, not just the outcome.

REPETITION IS THE MOTHER OF SKILL

A famous quote by Tony Robbins, “repetition is the mother of skill, reminds me how important it is to start no matter where you are. Perfection is an unrealistic standard. Repetition is the most effective way to get incredibly good at a skill. In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about the importance of repetition when trying to master a new habit.

“If you want to master a habit, the key is to start with repetition, not perfection. Simply putting in your reps is one of the most critical steps you can take to encoding a new habit.”

Show up on your good and bad days; consistency pays off over time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

At times, I’ve used perfection as an excuse to procrastinate or completely give up. As I’m learning and growing every day, I’m challenging myself to find new ways to overcome my old beliefs and excuses. Starting new projects and aiming for bigger dreams is challenging. But, keeping these three ideas in mind has helped me move forward despite my worries and doubt.