Fear holds many of us back from achieving our goals and dreams. Fear that we’re not enough, fear that we won’t be loved or accepted, fear of embarrassment. But one of the most prominent of all those fears is the fear of failure. The good news, however, is that you don’t have to let fear hold you back. In fact, there’s a simple system that will empower you to step beyond and conquer your fear of failure.
As a result, you can grow past your limitations, achieve your wildest dreams, and flourish in life the way you were meant to. In this article, we’ll explore five practical (and proven) steps, using the B.R.A.V.E acronym, to help you grow beyond your fear of failure so you can begin thriving in every capacity. Keep reading to learn more.
B – Begin to See Yourself With Kindness
I believe in the motto “Kind-Sight” over “Hind-Sight.” What does this mean? It means seeing yourself through the lens of possibility, recognizing your potential, and treating yourself as though you are worthy and valuable. You have to become your own best friend. Life is hard; there will be challenges and setbacks along the way. For this reason, you have to be on your own team.
This means that you learn to speak to yourself lovingly. Yes, you acknowledge your faults and shortcomings (as we all have to do). However, they don’t allow you to be limited or defined by them. Being kind to yourself means forgiving yourself for your mistakes and moving forward by learning from those blunders.
R – Redefine Failure as Learning
I want to be clear: failure is an event, never a person. At one point or another, we all will fail in our lives. That’s okay. In fact, it’s better than okay; it’s a necessary prerequisite for success. As a result, I want you to see failure through a more empowering lens. This will help you to recognize it as an asset rather than a detriment. However, there is a caveat to this…
Failure is only an asset when you learn the lessons it has to teach you. If you keep banging your head against the wall without taking time to reflect on what you can learn and how you can grow, that’s not using failure as a stepping stone to success.
A – Acknowledge the Impact of Others’ Opinions
The way people see you will have a powerful influence on you, especially in your younger years. In fact, you’re programmed and conditioned to think a certain way and have a certain set of beliefs before you’re old enough to exercise critical thinking and compare healthy vs. unhealthy thoughts. For this reason, you need to examine how others perceive you and the potential impact that perception has on your emotional and psychological well-being.
You have to take stock of what’s been spoken over you in the course of your life. Life and death is in the power of your tongue. By changing your story and the narrative surrounding your life, you can effectively transform your circumstances from scarcity to abundance.
V – Visualize Success
Visualization can be a way to overcome poor thinking and negative thought patterns. In fact, many of the world’s most successful people—from athletes to CEOs—use visualization to inundate their thoughts with their goals and dreams. Why is this simple practice so effective? Here’s the deal: Your brain can’t distinguish between a real-life experience and something you vividly imagined.
With this being the case, you can “trick” your brain into believing you’re already successful by saturating your thoughts with the accomplishment of your goals and desires. Visualize your success every day. Feel what it would be like to reach your goals. Think of the impact it would have on the lives of you and your loved ones.
E – Embrace a Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck popularized the terms “growth mindset” and fixed mindset.” People with growth mindsets believe they can learn new things, develop new skills, and improve as individuals. They see challenges as obstacles that can be overcome. People with a fixed mindset, on the other hand, believe they are born with talents and abilities fixed into their psychology. Meaning they don’t think they can develop new skills or abilities. They see challenges as giant chasms to be avoided.
To overcome failure, you need to shift to a growth mindset. You need to see that you can learn new things and overcome challenges. This is what will lead you to achieve your goals and become all that God has called you to be in your life.
Conclusion
Braving your way through failure results from developing an unwavering sense of resilience in yourself. Once you reach that threshold, you will become unstoppable. You’ll flourish in every aspect of life, and that’s when you experience true joy and fulfillment. And if you need assistance, we at Certified Flourishing Coach can help.
Our expert team of certified coaches and facilitators applies the art of flourishing using a science-backed framework. The result is a proven system that facilitates personal and professional growth. So, if you’re ready to flourish in your life and business, contact us today to learn more.
About the Author
Abe Brown, MBA, CMCT, CPHSA is the Coach’s Coach, and is an Entrepreneur, Professional Speaker, International Best-Selling Author, and High-Performance Leadership Coach. He is the founder of Certified Flourishing Coaching™ and Flourishing Workplace. Abe is also the author of the Certified Flourishing Coaching™ Programs.