Fear of Failure Test

Is the fear of failure holding you back?

Well, here is some good news. The mini test below will help you identify if you have a fear of failure. And, if you do, 4 steps to overcome it rapidly.

Fear of Failure Test

Read the following questions and answer with a straight Yes, No or Sometimes:

1. Are you within touching distance of a real breakthrough in your life and you just can't seem to push through?

2. Can you look back and see opportunities that were missed because you felt you didn't have the right skills / knowledge / experience to make them happen?

3. Do you compare yourself to others and see a deficit? They are better than you in some way.

4. Are there things you'd like to do but you're not sure where to start?

5. Have you failed to achieve something in the past and are reluctant to put in a similar amount of energy again?

6. Do you hear yourself saying things like, "That would be too difficult / time consuming / not worth the effort."?

7. Are there things in life you feel are beyond you, due to your status / background / lack of qualifications / lack of experience / limited resources?

8. Do you worry what people will think of you if you were to achieve something you value?

You know where I am going with this. If you answered Yes or Sometimes to ANY of the questions above, it is possible you have a fear of failure that is holding you back.

That's the bad news.

The good news is once you have implemented the steps I am now going to outline, you need never let it hold you back again!

Overcoming Fear of Failure

Banish your fear of failure with these simple 4 steps:

Step 1 - Say Thank You.

Fear is a feeling created by your sub-conscious mind. It has an intent - to keep you safe. So say "thank you" - and then do whatever you intend doing anyway. Most of the things our biological programming is aiming to protect us from (such as wild animals), are no longer an everyday problem. An audience won't really kill us when we make a presentation or pitch our latest product.

Step 2 - Know the Score

If you research the number of times most successful ideas / products / services had to be pitched or how long someone needed to practice to acquire a new skill you will find the numbers are never once or twice. They are always in the tens or hundreds. Use this knowledge to keep you focused on the prize when you encounter a knock back.

Step 3 - Learn the Lesson

The skill here is REFRAMING. You are reframing a failure as a point of learning. See a failure as a temporary setback from which you can launch your next assault. What will help you be more successful next time? To answer that question, you need to be able to answer this one - What did you learn?

Step 4 - Play the Game

Relax! Have fun while you are playing this game of life. This includes being kind to the person you are today. You are made up of a myriad of experiences, some of them wonderful, some of them traumatic, all of them important. But you don't have to carry all of them around with you. Just keep the ones which will propel you forward and let the lighter load lift your spirits. Encountering setbacks with a smile and a positive attitude will preserve your energy and your sanity! It will also make the journey more fun.

Life is really all about the journey. You cannot fail if you are enjoying life. In this sense, failure becomes nothing more than a state of mind which we can change in an instant.

For more on how to design a life on your terms - check out my latest book - Dynamic Time Management.