Re:Ask HN: How do you overcome fear of failure?
by bb88 on Monday February 13, 2017 @03:28AM
(#13633899)
I don't subscribe to the notion that you should make it easy to fail, because that's not the same thing. In the real world there is no safety net, there's just you and your dogged determination to succeed.
I also don't subscribe in the idea of redefining failure to make it less than what it is. In the real world, things fail, and often fail spectacularly, often hurting the people we love.
And frankly, some things are supposed to make you fear failure. Like jumping out of a plane with a poorly packed parachute. (Or just jumping out of a plane, say).
So let's be honest here: fear of failure is a generally a good thing. Irrational fear of failure is not. And the trick is to know which is which.
And for some people it's often the case that fear of failure is worse than actually failing. If you grow up in life succeeding at everything you're doing, then it's also possibly true, you've not taken a lot of risks. Or you only take the risks where success was guaranteed. And then if it got too hard you could always drop out.
But for some people fear of failing is what drives them to succeed. They've jumped both feet first into a business and need the business to succeed so they can feed their family. The fear of failure is helping them to work harder, and to make better business decisions.
The problem for you is that your fear is immobilizing. When you jump head first into something, you'll most likely find it an asset, because you'll never work harder in your life.
I also don't subscribe in the idea of redefining failure to make it less than what it is. In the real world, things fail, and often fail spectacularly, often hurting the people we love.
And frankly, some things are supposed to make you fear failure. Like jumping out of a plane with a poorly packed parachute. (Or just jumping out of a plane, say).
So let's be honest here: fear of failure is a generally a good thing. Irrational fear of failure is not. And the trick is to know which is which.
And for some people it's often the case that fear of failure is worse than actually failing. If you grow up in life succeeding at everything you're doing, then it's also possibly true, you've not taken a lot of risks. Or you only take the risks where success was guaranteed. And then if it got too hard you could always drop out.
But for some people fear of failing is what drives them to succeed. They've jumped both feet first into a business and need the business to succeed so they can feed their family. The fear of failure is helping them to work harder, and to make better business decisions.
The problem for you is that your fear is immobilizing. When you jump head first into something, you'll most likely find it an asset, because you'll never work harder in your life.