Writing Tips – 3 Wisdom Tips to Overcome the Fear of Failure
Let’s talk for a minute about fear. Do you hesitate to write and submit a story for publication or to write a book or a blog post? Maybe you want to write a report or give a presentation or speech, but you feel uncertain about it. Do you want to learn how to write but fear you won’t do it well? Do you hesitate to venture out into a new area with your writing? Or maybe you have some other fears related to your writing.
The fear of failure and rejection can be a hindrance to moving forward with learning how to write, how to write better, or accomplishing your writing goals. Yet being willing to risk is one of the keys to growing in your writing
skills and achieving your goals. For sure, if you don’t venture out, you will not be successful. How can you overcome your fear of failure?
Here’s a story that gives us some clues. Sara Blakely is a self-made billionaire from her idea for Spanx, which became a big hit with women and even celebrities. She shared that her father asked her weekly if she had failed at anything that week. If her answer was no, he was disappointed. This is a wise father. He knew that in order to succeed, his daughter needed to be willing to fail.
Sarah shared that she experienced rejection and discouragement along her journey. However, she persisted to the point where she is now extremely accomplished. Not only is she successful herself, but she started a foundation to help women in third world countries with their entrepreneurial ideas so they too can reap the benefits of their innovations.
3 Tips to Overcome the Fear of Failure
- Fear of failure loses its power over you when you realize that as long as you learn something, you never fail without gaining something.
- Fear of failure loses its power on you once you realize there is no shame in making a mistake, only an opportunity to gain experience of what works and what doesn’t.
- Fear of failure loses its power over you when you realize that all successful people fail their way to success. One writer I know posts her rejection slips as proof that she takes action. If she didn’t submit her writing for publication, she would not get rejection notices, but then she also would not have the chance to get published.
You may not succeed when you write something, but you have a chance. For sure, if you don’t write, you guarantee failure.
How about you? Can you set a weekly goal to fail at something in your writing? What would happen if you set this as a goal? We think by shrinking back we protect ourselves, but actually, we hinder ourselves from achieving a new level of growth and experience.
I challenge you to think about something new and risky you can do with your writing this week. What do you think might happen if you did this regularly? Think of all the potential you may unleash if you run toward your goals free from the fear of failure.
What do you think? Does this make sense to you? What risks are you going to take? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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