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Overcoming fear of failure - take control over your life with positive affirmations

Updated on May 14, 2012

Fear of Failure

One of the greatest fears people have is fear of failure. This arises from the fact that one is not in complete control over their thought life. The fear of failure hinders people from performing to their optimum potential. It is important to overcome the fear of failure and being in control of your life, with positive affirmations. Fear of failure is common in people who are constantly looking for approval from others. This condition is closely related to fear of criticism and fear of rejection. The opinion of significant others is important, but it should never paralyze us. Everyone has a right to his or her opinion - its their's, don't take it too personally. We need to look at it in the right perspective, for we learn more from our mistakes than from ur successes.

Failure or success should be looked at as outcome of the effort put it in, and not as rewards or punishments. When people learn to disassociate emotional highs and lows from outcomes, fear is axed at the root. This rational approach will not only take the edge out of fear, but also checks disproportionate pride, that leads to a plateau in performance. The old adage- 'Failure is the stepping stone to success' is applicable even today.

Fear of failure is a paralizing emotion

Put things in perspective.
Put things in perspective.

How to Overcome Fear of Failure

  • The first step to overcome the fear of failure is to accept it. Accept does not mean saying yes, I have it and being passive about it.
  • This leads us to the next step. Take action.
  • Prepare yourself adequately by equipping yourself with the skills you need.
  • Face your fear. Your fears seem huge only when you are far from action, when you face your fears, you realize that they were not as bad as they seemed initially. Approach the people whose critical views paralyze you and ask them for inputs to improve. This may look like a Herculean task, but it is an amazingly effective tool, and in the process, your enemy (or rather, the one you perceive as your enemy) becomes your ally. Never forget that when you ask for help, the other person's ego is massaged and now they look at you in new light!
  • Most importantly, work on the suggestions given.
  • Break up your goal into smaller achievable modules and work on them. The whole task will look easier and achievable. Prepare backup plans for different scenarios.
  • Program your mind with affirmative thoughts. Repeatedly.
  • Fight is better than flight. Action takes you one step forward.
  • Use positive affirmation to instill confidence in your self. You are now mentally well-equipped and better prepared to face your fear of failure.
  • Say to yourself that the outcome is not your concern, but you will give it your all to make it work. Once this mind programming is done, you are ready for battle.
  • Never forget to celebrate your success, however small. Your positive self affirmation builds your confidence.
  • If you fail, fall back on your alternative plans, taking into consideration the reasons for failure.
  • Remember, practice makes perfect!!
  • Persistence is the key to success. Never give up. Learn from your mistakes and move on!!
  • Keep this in mind; people are hardly judged by how many times they fall, but how many times they pick themselves up and how much they achieve!!

What thoughts fill you

You are what you think
You are what you think

Fear of Failure - Take Responsibility for Your Life

Each individual is responsible to direct their own life, the messes that they create and the accolades that they get are their own doing. Yes, you are responsible for where you are today.
Somehow today most of us are bitten by the buck never stops here bug and we always have people or circumstances to blame about!! We can act by taking stock of our thoughts today. Believe in yourself!

Change The Way you Think

Have you ever heard of the saying, 'You only reap what you sow'?

That is true of our lives too. We are responsible for every thought and actions of ours.
People say or think such things of themselves like, I am not good enough, I can't do it, I am weak, I can't manage this etc.. Such negative thoughts or excuses like, I am so weak, set us up for failure.

We need to take control of our thoughts and think right. Delete the unwanted /negative thoughts or negative scripts, that are ingrained decision in our innercore and are often arrived at in nervreracking or extremly stressful situations, when our emotional balance is rocked about. These thoughts are what birth the fear of failure, so get rid of them right now.
For example a person decides 'I am never going to trust anyone in my life everagain' (That is how a script sounds.)

This seedscript once sown, grows into a person who is lonesome, with few or no friends, unable to work well in teams, unable to commit to another person in life and a sure fire recipe for a disastrous marriage (if one ever happens)

Once these scripts are ingrained into the innercore / psyche no matter how much ones strives at a particular task they are already doomed for lacklustre performance.

change your thoughts change your life

and your life will take the Right direction!
and your life will take the Right direction!

Use Self-Affirmation to Overcome Fear of Failure

The Bible says, "as the man thinketh in his heart so is he."

To change the direction of our thoughts and our lives we need to rearrange thoughts that we think. Today, decide to do a spring cleaning of your mindspace. Throw out the old and useless and bring out some bright colours.

Change the mental picture of yourself from a can't do anything person, to can do somethings well person.

Delete the negatives of yourself in your vocabulary and replace them your positive ones. The positive vocabulary comes from what are you good at. I am sure all of us are good at something or the other.

Affirm yourself with statements such as "I am a wonderful communicator, people approach me whenever the need to get through to someone". Self affirmation or power affirmation builds your self confidence and self esteem.

Repeat such (realistic) statements of yourself frequently. Repetition puts a new script in place. This way you canprogram your mind for success.

Statements have to be in the present tense not in the future..like 'I am a good writer', not I will be one.

Reinforce these statements with positive emotions gained out of every success. Just take the liberty to feel good about yourself.

Persistance and a never-give-up attitude are important to bring about any change.

Never to be forgotten, giving excuses and self pity are a definite no ,no. Giving excuses gives a legal right for the flaw to remain there and ensures that you will never overcome it.

Most importantly believe in what you say. Believe in yourself.

working

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