The Fear Of Failure
Fear and the fear of failure have stopped many people from achieving the results they wanted, but it’s something you can control. Many successful entrepreneurs have had moments in their lives where things didn’t go right for them, but the difference between those people and people who did not succeed is that they picked themselves back up, got back out there, carried on and were driven to get the results they wanted. Successful people have the same problems and challenges as less successful people. The difference between the two is how you deal with the issues that you’re confronted with.
Here are a few strategies that will help you get yourself back on track when you’re feeling fearful or like you’ve failed.
1. Face your fears.
Regardless of what your weaknesses are, you need to face them and work on them. When you face your fears, you start to improve how you deal with them. You might fear change in your life, and that is one of the things holding you back from success. If you are doing things the way you’ve always done them, the results are always going to be the same. If you want different and better results, you need to make changes to your approach. The more you face your fears and the more you do what you don’t want to do, the more comfortable you get with the things you fear.
2. Develop grit.
Now that you’re facing your fears, work on getting tougher and developing grit so that no matter what challenges come your way, you’ll be able to dust yourself off and get back in the game. There is no excuse for giving in; there are only results, and you’re only going to get results if you continue to do the things you fear. Every single fear you face is another step toward your wealth and success.
There are always going to be people who tell you that you can’t do what you want to do and that you’re not going to succeed. Think hard about whether you want these people in your life.
What should you do if you do have a failure or if things go wrong? You can’t dwell on the past. You can’t let the past affect your future. Recognize that you have learned a lesson and move on. If you accept responsibility and strategize to make sure it doesn’t happen again, you can become a stronger business owner.
3. Make decisions based on numbers.
Numbers tell a story and show you trends. They tell you what’s happening right now in your business. Let’s imagine you have a member of your sales team who you really like, but you’re not sure whether to keep him or let him go. Looking at the numbers will tell you a story about whether this person is doing great or has horrible results, and the decision you have to make will be much easier. Or, perhaps you’re thinking about expanding — look at the numbers first. Can you afford it? Is it the right decision right now? The numbers can help you make your decision, feel good about the decision you made and move forward.
4. Don’t delay decisions.
Far too much failure comes when you delay a decision, hoping a bad situation is going to get better. When something isn’t working in your business, you have to take action and make tough decisions. The most successful people in the world are often viewed as ruthless, but that isn’t the case. They just understand that they have to make decisions to protect themselves and their businesses.
5. Be determined.
In my experience, if you’re determined and you work hard — no matter what the circumstances — eventually you will get there. I want you to push harder than you’ve ever pushed before. I want you to work harder than you’ve ever worked before.
6. Eliminate your fear.
Fear is just false evidence appearing real, because when we’re fearful, we’re coming up with a reason in our mind that stops us from taking action. Your mind is telling you a story that is not true, and it’s important that you gather facts to support the real story.
I want you to think of a time when something went wrong, where you failed or you perceive that you failed, something that happened that wasn’t exactly what you wanted. Now, ask yourself the following questions:
1. What did you learn when that happened? What was the impact?
2. What is better about that situation now?
3. Why are you pleased about the situation now?
As you wrote down your responses, what did you learn? Why are you pleased it turned out that way and what lessons will you take with you? If you learned something from the situation, you can use that going forward to rewrite your story and eliminate your fears once and for all.
We all have bad days, we all have problems, and we all have challenges. It’s how we decide to stand up to them that determines the winners. The people who fight against failure get the best results.