Re:Ask HN: How do you overcome fear of failure?
by BjoernKW on Monday February 13, 2017 @03:40AM
(#13633948)
What kind of failure are you afraid of? What's the worst that could happen? Either people won't notice your product at all or they will notice and not like or perhaps ridicule it (if they're particularly nasty)
Even if the latter is the case: What's so bad about that? If people laugh about you and your efforts they're ultimately the ones who failed not you.
Putting something out there is a bit like getting on stage. Stage fright is a very common fear but it's also very irrational. Derek Sivers of CD Baby fame, who had his first on-stage experience as a circus clown, once said something like this about stage fright: "The thing to remember is that once you go on stage you're not doing this for yourself, you're doing it for your audience."
Focussing on others instead of yourself is a way to overcome stage fright, and fear of rejection in general.
Moreover, don't judge yourself so hard. Don't take yourself so seriously. Keep your identity small. You're not your product or your performance in a given moment.
Even if the latter is the case: What's so bad about that? If people laugh about you and your efforts they're ultimately the ones who failed not you.
Putting something out there is a bit like getting on stage. Stage fright is a very common fear but it's also very irrational. Derek Sivers of CD Baby fame, who had his first on-stage experience as a circus clown, once said something like this about stage fright: "The thing to remember is that once you go on stage you're not doing this for yourself, you're doing it for your audience."
Focussing on others instead of yourself is a way to overcome stage fright, and fear of rejection in general. Moreover, don't judge yourself so hard. Don't take yourself so seriously. Keep your identity small. You're not your product or your performance in a given moment.