Fear of Failure Anxiety
Many of you know who Seth Godin is, but or those who do not, I am going to make an introduction through sharing a quote from him. I recently heard Godin say in an interview he was doing, “Raising free range kids means teaching kids to fail at solving interesting problems because that is the only way you ever get good at solving interesting problems.”
It struck me! I got my kids and played the quote back to them and what ensued was an interesting discussion. One of the things that struck me about this quote was the part where he says “…teaching kids to fail at solving interesting problems…” So often we as human beings try to avoid failure at all costs. I can’t tell you how often the topic of failure comes up in my sessions with my clients (I have also battled those fears in my life!).
Most of us equate failure to bigger statements like “not being worthy” or “not being good enough”…PAINFUL thoughts and beliefs! So, here I was listening to an interview with someone who is widely regarded as inspirational and successful who spoke about “teaching kids to fail at solving interesting problems”. AWESOME! The truth is “failing” at something usually isn’t the end result, unless we QUIT…if we don’t quit then we don’t fail…we learn.
What is difficult for so many people is that the fear of failure keeps them from doing the things they most want to do in life. It keeps them captive. When your fear of failure keeps you from doing things you want to do, you are missing out on the best possible version of your life. Is there something that you want to do that you are not doing because you are afraid to fail? If so, is there a way to rethink your fear so you can break free of your fear?
I hope you enjoy reframing your fear.
If you need help transforming your fear, give us a call at 720-583-9332. We would love to connect you with a counselor to help you out.
Written By Steffanie Stecker
Dr. Steffanie Stecker a licensed psychologist and the owner and clinical director of Mountain Vista Psychology, PLLC.
In addition, she is a board certified neurotherapist (BCN E5669) and board certified in QEEG (QEEG-D). Less than 100 people world wide are board certified in QEEG, which indicates competency in reading QEEGs and choosing neurofeedback protocols. Dr. Stecker is passionate about brain based effective therapy and creating a safe relationship for her clients to create change. She loves what she gets to do each day!