Many people find themselves struggling with fear.

They worry that they won’t be able to achieve what they really want and that fear prevents them from making the kind of effort that could change their lives for the better.

Fear of failure is common.

It’s understandable, too.

We’re socialized to love success and to look down upon failure.

We spend our lives learning incorrect lessons about the importance of winning at all costs and we worry that a failure will be both humiliating and proof that we’re somehow “less”.

It becomes easier to do nothing than to risk falling short.

That’s not good news.

We all have the potential to find our lives’ purposes and to do great things.  Letting fear stand in the way robs us and the world of our amazing potential.

How can you overcome that fear?

Here are  steps that often produce amazing results:

Don’t worry about your audience.  Realize that the world isn’t watching you.  You are your only audience.  When you stop worrying about “the other guy” and start focusing on yourself, it’s a lot less frightening.


Recognize the inevitability of failure.  Rarely do things work out on the first try.  Most of us must make more than one run at building a life that serves our passions and purposes.  No one gets everything right and everyone makes mistakes.  Those mistakes aren’t always fun, but they’re not damning.  When you realize that failure is part of the human condition, it becomes easier to handle.

Think in terms of the big picture.  What happens if you fail?  You can try again.  You can try another time if you fail again.  You can keep going until you get it all right and achieve your goals.

What happens if you don’t try?  Nothing.  You might skirt the temporary sting of falling short, but you’ll never reach the heights of your aspirations.

That’s a bad trade.

You deserve happiness and fulfillment.  You can only have them if you’re willing to strive for something more.

Don’t let a fear of failure limit your progress.

Approach it in a productive way and start your journey to success instead of staying where you are.

You can lead with heart and let the bonds of fear escape you.