The fear of failure is perhaps the strongest force holding people below their potential. In a world full of uncertainty, a delicate economy, and countless misfortunes that could happen to anyone, it’s easy to see why most people are inclined to play it safe.
But playing it safe has risk as well. If you never dare to fail your success will have a low ceiling. Most people underestimate their merit and ability to recover from failure, leading them to pass up valuable opportunities. The ability to fail big and fail often has been a mark of the spectacularly successful throughout history.
The following strategies will help you put risk and reward in perspective so you can overcome the fear of failure.
1. Consider the cost of missed opportunities - The biggest risk that people fail to consider is the benefit they lose by avoiding high risk/high reward opportunities. In his guide to career planning, Netscape founder Marc Andreesen compares a well managed career to a diversified portfolio. The ideal career contains a wide range of job opportunities (some risky, some safe) that combine to form a relatively safe career with a high potential for growth. Taking high risk opportunities is essential because they offer the greatest reward:
The issue is that without taking risk, you can’t exploit any opportunities. You can live a quiet and reasonably happy life, but you are unlikely to create something new, and you are unlikely to make your mark on the world.
2. Research the alternatives - The unknown is a major source of fear. When you don’t know what you’re dealing with, potential consequences seem far worse than they actually are. Take the power out fear by understanding it. Research all the potential outcomes (both good and bad) so you genuinely understand the risk of failure and benefits of success. Analyzing these outcomes will help you see through the fear of failure and make a logical decision.
3. Put the worst-case scenario in perspective - One of the most powerful questions posed by Tim Ferriss in the 4-Hour Workweek is: If you chase your dreams and fall flat on your face, worst-case scenario, how long will it take you to recover? The answer is probably less than you expect. How hard would it really be to find another job? Chances are you could recover completely in a few months. Is the fear of a few rough months strong enough to keep you in a mediocre situation indefinitely?
4. Understand the benefits of failure - As Emerson said, life is a series of experiments, the more you make the better. Each failure is a trial in an experiment and an opportunity for growth. Even if a failure costs you financially, the educational benefits can far outweigh the loss. Working for a startup instead of a big company is considered risky, but according Paul Graham, “Managers at big companies prefer to hire someone who’d tried to start a startup and failed over someone who’d spent the same time working at a big company.” Maybe that experience at a big company isn’t as safe or as valuable as you think?
5. Make a contingency plan - Another way to overcome the fear of failure is to reduce the downside. Hedge your risk by creating a contingency plan. Even if your first option fails, you can maintain the status quo with a solid backup plan. Daring to fail doesn’t mean you have to risk losing it all. If you manage risk intelligently, you can capture the benefits of high risk opportunities while leaving yourself a safety net.
6. Take action - The best way to reduce fear and build confidence is taking action. As soon as you do, you’ll begin accumulating experience and knowledge. Everything is hardest the first time. It’s like jumping off a cliff into a lake — after you do it once, you see that the water is safe and each time afterwards is easy. Start off with small steps and build up your confidence until the fear of failure is manageable.
7. Burn the boats - When ancient Greek armies traveled across the sea to do battle, the first thing they would do after landing was to burn the boats, leaving them stranded. With no way to make it home besides victory, the resolve of the soldiers was strengthened. When success and failure are the only options, you have no choice but to follow through.
If you have a goal, but are afraid to commit, force yourself into action by burning the boats. Register for an exam in advance if you want to go back to school. Set a deadline to move to a new city without signing a lease. Fear of failure disappears when you realize it can’t save you.
Image by tomgrau
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Mostly sound - if not particularly original - advice but I have a serious issue with number 7.
The Greeks did not - NOT - burn their boats before battle as a rule: After all, if both sides burn their boats, even you win, there’s no way to get home and where’s the point in that?
It happened occasionally but it’s worth noting that in the most famous example, the Athenian expedition to Cicely during the Peloponnesian war, it was the side that did burn the boats, the Athenians, that lost both the battle and the war.
And apart from the most famous precedent not being all that confidence-inspiring, you might consider that “Burn your boats” makes contingency planning more difficult and makes for a harder landing in a worse case scenario.
So by all means, quit your safe job to pursue your dream but do it in a way that doesn’t make it impossible for you to go back or at least to find a different job.
Great blog, keep up the good work!
Chris
We are all guilty of procrastinating, not taking action and dealing with our fears, the process may be simplified if we truly understand it so that we can overcome it and make better decisions and take immediate action.
Over the past day I sat down for a bit to think about this more and to analyse the reasons people delay their actions, or have indecision over a situation, when it comes to fear.
In the end, I pinpointed it down to 3 separate factors that contribute to procrastination/indecision stemming from fear.
The 3 areas I divided them into for the sake of simplicity (or not so simplicity) are internal/emotional, external and self perceptional. They are as follows:
1. Fear of Failure / Rejection (internal/emotional)
2. Identity Crisis / Outcome Dependency (external)
3. Fear Itself (self perceptional)
I break this down further on my personal blog if anyone is curious about how fear can paralyse procrastination and how to overcome it:
http://hongkongwong.com/2008/07/3-key-factors-to-overcome-your-fear-of-failure-stop-procrastinating-indecision-take-action/
To our success!
Thanks for the info about the Greeks, I was using that mainly as a metaphor and had no idea about the actual history.
You are right that 5 and 7 do contradict each other, but I think they can both be very motivating, depending on situation. Some people might have a hard time making a commitment without burning the boats so to speak.
Great post. Even if it’s advice I’ve heard before, it’s something I need to keep hearing until it sinks in. I feel adventurous when I read something like this, but when it’s time to apply it, the old fears usually come back. Thanks for a great blog.
Agree with CSS, its advice I have heard a million times before but it never gets old until it sinks in. Reading it on a blog and actually putting it into practice is another blog post.
Good advice, dugg it here:
http://digg.com/offbeat_news/7_Ways_to_Overcome_the_Fear_of_Failure
I’m glad you all found the article interesting. I agree that it’s far from the first time these points have been made, but that’s the things about the simple truth — although it’s been said before it’s easy to forget.
[…] Overcoming the fear of failure. October 3, 2007 5:59 pm Larry Uncategorized From Pick the Brain, here are 7 ways to overcome the fear of failure: […]
[…] 7 ways to overcome the fear of failure […]
Thanks for the clear and concise list of strategies. I find that fear has the nasty side-effect of making me numb to constructive advice or the next steps forward, so this list will serve as a good stimulus next time I’m stalled at the gates!
I have to agree 100% with this post. Too many people focus on the negatives and let the fear of failure keep them down. As with anything in life, you must fail before you succeed. As far as I am concerned it is just the way things work.
I think something to add to this list is preparation. When dealing with fear (which is the body reaction to injury or death), the only thing you have in your defense is being prepared.
There are a lot of people who go into situations prematurely without tools to deal with any problems that might arise.
My link on my name goes to an article about how to deal with fear and public speaking.
Fear is an emotion and fear of failure is an irrational emotion. That’s why your list contains mostly points showing the irrationality of this emotion in a particular situation or considering the rationality of alternatives. Your list is a nice one tackling different aspects of this. Having said that, I am not sure if rational reasoning is the right way to overcome irrational emotions because one reacts much faster than the information gets to the rational part of the brain. I’d probably say that an effective strategy has to be set at the emotional level.
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i dont think these are helpful at all. i have used all of these tactics for years, and they are good survival tactics to simply get through the situation and move on but they do not help at all with fear of failure, or with whether or not actual failure occurs the next time, regardless of how much you actually prepare.
@Christina
The link on my comment here is a link to dealing with disappointment or failure. That might help.
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these tips are quite helpful and i’ve even suggested these to some of my friends…thanks for the whole lot! :>
[…] 7 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Failure by John WesleyFear of failure is a common problem faced by many. This article offers some tips on how to overcome it such as considering the cost of missed opportunities, putting the worst-case scenario in perspective, and burning the boats. […]
Great last line.
I would like to get more info on how to overcome fear and enhance personal development
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liked this post a lot…
specially the bit about “burning the boats”. great metaphor & good advice.
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This is a very nice post. I really like the comment on taking some risk, which for many (including myself) can be a challenge. The key is balancing that risk and calculating it appropriately.
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i want not to feel fear while giving speech. give some suggestions
Here is my favorite instant technique to overcome your fear:
1. Think of a situation that you are afraid of. You have to be very specific about it. Like “I’m afraid to ask my boss for a raise.”
2. Imagine the worst outcome possible. I mean the very worst outcome. (”Ex: You would be fired because you dared to ask for a raise and you could never get a job again.”) What are the real chances for that outcome? Almost zero I guess.
3. Imagine a possible failure. A real one. What could you learn from it? Would your life change dramatically if you would fail? What would be the experience for you?
4. Ask yourself the following question: Which is more painful? The FEAR to act or having every day the same FRUSTRATION if you don’t act.
5. Imagine the best outcome. See yourself coming out successful from the situation. Close your eyes and imagine how would you look like, how would your environment look like and how would you feel inside.
6. Burn the bridge behind you and TAKE ACTION! You have to do something, which makes it impossible for you to turn back. You have to face your fear. (”Ex: Tell your boss that you want a private meeting with him.”)
I hate failure it makes me feel like a failure.