Don’t worry, I’m raising my hand (actually both, I feel like I’ve failed a lot).
Let’s be honest about failing for a minute. Failing does suck!
Frankly, what I’ve learned about failing and why it’s so difficult, isn’t actually due to the act of failing but rather the emotions that come with failing. Feelings like: disappointment (especially in yourself), regret (because you may have made a mistake and your think it’s all your fault), sadness (because sometimes crying is all you think you can), shame (because you should’ve done better).
Now it’s easy to believe no one else has failed, and it’s even easier to dismiss people when talk about their failures because either they’re now successful or they probably weren’t in the same position as you. You are probably right, because everyone has their own set of circumstances that are all unique. However, failing, no matter how big or small is tough on all of us and can keep all of us from moving our businesses forward.
When you’re starting out, it can feel detrimental and can make you second guess whether or not you were really meant for this. When you’re growing your business, it can feel like one wrong step can unravel all you’ve worked for. Those fears take away your confidence, your stamina, your belief in yourself, your ability to move forward. But you are not alone.
Here are 3 ways to overcome the fear of failing
1 | Accept and prepare the inevitable – you’re going to fail.
Yes, no one really wants to fail, but just the fear of it happening can keep you stuck and honestly, everyone at one point fails. I mean look around, do some research, you’ll see names like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Beyonce (I know…I’m not really sure I believe that), JK Rowling and more. So rather than fear failure, accept that it’s likely to happen. Get yourself mentally, financially, emotionally prepared so you can deal with it when it does. Not only will doing so give you confidence, but will also allow you to move past it quicker.
2 | Change your perspective
One of my favorite artists, Rihanna, has a tattoo that reads, “Never a failure, always a lesson.” Now, I love Rihanna for many reasons, but the idea behind that is quite powerful. We constantly put ourselves down when we fail. But what if we didn’t? What if instead, we looked at our failures as lessons and learned from them. And learned from them without the guilt or regret or disappointment, but out of a genuine desire to grow? It’s important to be kind to ourselves and rather than punishing ourselves, take a moment to realize it will work out if we get back up.
3 | Determine your WHY + keep it close
Finally, realize, determine and hold close, your why. Why did you even want to start a business in the first place? It has to be a why that fills your heart and lights you up like a flame. Now I know failing is tough. Anytime I’ve failed, I’ve had to take the hit and dwell on it for a few days. However, after that, I’ve gotten myself up, remembered my why and kept going. So if you need a minute, take it. But remember your own why and get back up.
Now, I’d love for you to join the conversation! What part of failing has been the most difficult for you? How have you overcome your own failures? What advice would you give yourself after you failed? Comment below!
