Did you know that if you are willing to fail, you will always succeed?
Fear of failure is one of the biggest distractions we use to stop us from advancing, progressing, and creating a difference in our lives, in other’s lives, and in the business world.
When you are fearful, you limit, scrutinize and second-guess. Taking risks, going against the ‘norm’, or being willing to say or share a different idea or point of view from others, which is actually what innovators and entrepreneurs do all the time, will not be an option for you due to fear of failure, reproach or negative reaction.
Many women constantly have ideas, information, awareness, and gut instincts on how things can be made better in their job or business, but will allow fear of failure, of not getting the right result, or receiving a bad reaction to distract them from being willing to speak up and see what could come of their contribution.
Fear of failure is truly the greatest killer of innovation. Changing your point of view on fear and failure can be one of the most empowering choices you ever make. What could you actually accomplish if you didn’t fear and couldn’t fail?
Changing your point of view on Fear
How many times have you let fear paralyze you from allowing yourself to think differently, to be creative, to be inventive, or to share and say different things?
Many of us have, at least, a few situations from our past where we were ridiculed or criticized for sharing an idea or speaking up. Allowing that fear to continue forward causes you to miss out on being the contribution you can be to others, to the workplace, and to your own progression.
Fear can be changed quite easily – if you are willing to take a different point of view. Here is a tool to help you.
TOOL: Turn your “fear” upside down
What if fear isn’t real? What if you are misidentifying excitement or anticipation as fear? Physiologically, fear and excitement are almost identical – increased focus and alertness, elevated heart rate, and a sudden surge of energy. What if that idea you think you’re afraid of telling your manager is actually just excitement in disguise? Instead of buying into the story of fear in your head, start asking yourself “What else is possible here that I haven’t considered? If fear wasn’t my only option, what else would be available to me?” Play out the scenario in your head again but with that different perspective.
Instead of being nervous as you speak or present your ideas, put your feet firm on the ground and take three breaths. Then say “everything is the opposite of what it appears to be and nothing is the opposite of what it appears to be,” and see what that does to your mental state. Fear really is just a mind game. You may find that all you needed to get over your fear was a change in your perspective.
Changing your point of view on Failure
Scientist, inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders – they look at failure as success. They’re willing to do whatever it takes and let it fail because they know they will get information and awareness that will allow them to do it better next time around. In other words – these people are willing to fail because they know what comes after will always lead them to something greater, even if they don’t know exactly what the result will be.
Did you know 3M’s creation of Post-It notes was a result of one of their failed projects. It was supposed to be a glue that would stick on forever. If they were to look at that as a failure, we would never have Post-It notes – and how much money do you spend per year on Post-It notes?
TOOL: Stop making failure real or significant
What if instead of functioning from a polarized failure/success paradigm, you embraced failure the way innovators and leaders do – a continuous exploration of adding new ideas and variables, learning from what shows up?
What would it be like if you didn’t worry about failure first?
The idea that failure is even possible is based on the misguided assumption that there must be a right answer, an ideal result or a perfect scenario. Buying into this idea is a direct route to destroying all the innovation and creativity you have available to you.
Any time you find yourself avoiding speaking up with your ideas or opinions or suggesting changes, ask yourself the following questions lessen any significance you have around failure:
- If I was willing to voice my opinion, willing to share this with others, and know that I never had to get it perfect – what would I be free to say, do, share, and create?
- What am I aware of that is not working in the business that I can solve? What would be possible if I proposed these?
- What do I know here that would contribute to the business, project, company or customers?
- Any time I thought that I failed in the past – what did I learn and what additional information did I get? What was I able to do differently after that I couldn’t have done or known about before that occurred?
- What can I fail at today that would make me greater now and in the future?
Anytime you are focused on failure you are looking only at all the ways it cannot work out. Use these questions in your daily work- life to re-focus your attention on perceiving the options you do have.
If you are willing to use everything you thought was fear and failure to your advantage – could you truly fail? Or would you just have more awareness and more choices tomorrow than you did today?
About Laleh Hancock
Laleh Alemzadeh-Hancock is a management and communications consultant, Right Voice for You facilitator and the founder of Global Wellness for All, an organization that creates wellness in all areas of life, with a particular focus on individuals with perceived disabilities. With nearly 30 years’ experience in operational excellence, change management, organizational wellness and business consulting, Laleh has inspired and empowered hundreds of thousands of individuals including Fortune 500 executives, government agencies, non-profit organizations, athletes, and veterans. She is an advocate for people of ages with special needs or disabilities and their caregivers and was named the Top Coaching & Wellness Expert in Maryland, Virginia, and DC by Top Doctors Interviews. Right Voice for You is a special program by Access Consciousness