Think about what idea or dream you are putting on hold because you’re afraid to fail. And imagine for 5 seconds that you weren’t afraid to fail.
Would you go back to school and study something else? Would you write a book? Change careers? Build a business?
What would you do?
Many of us want to do more with our lives, but a lot of things seem to get in the way, like a lack of time, lack of resources, and struggling to stay motivated. But I believe one of the biggest things that can get in the way is fear.
Maybe you’re afraid of putting yourself and your work ‘out there’ for everyone to see. Maybe you are afraid people won’t like what you do or that they won’t take you seriously.
So, if you are feeling this way, then here are some tips that might help you to step out and do it anyway, even when you’re afraid.
1. Feeling scared is a part of the journey
I don’t want to feel afraid. I’m sure you don’t either.
No matter how much we fight it, read books, and pray, there will be moments when you will have to learn to do things even when you’re scared. But the important thing is to step out and do it, anyway.
2. Don’t be too hard on yourself
I don’t know about you but telling myself to ‘try harder’ when I’m scared rarely works.
What seems to work is practising self-compassion and telling myself that if I don’t get something right the first time, I’ll do better the second time and the third time, and so on.
So maybe the best way to move forward is to be patient with yourself.
3. Start small
People often think they need to start big when they want to learn something new or pursue their dream. But you don’t have to start big, you can start small, with achievable, realistic goals.
You want to write a book. Why not start writing for 15 minutes a day?
Do you want to start a business? Why not dedicate an hour to it at the weekend?
Once you start showing up consistently each week, or each day, then you can increase the time that you spend on your new goal.
Instead of focusing on devoting 5 hours a week to your dream/new habit, start by showing up consistently for a few minutes each day.
4. Start today
“If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything.”
Ecclesiastes 11:4
A bible commentary explains this verse in this way: “It is idle to try to guard against all possibilities of failure. To demand certainty of success before acting would mean not to act at all.”
Sometimes the best way to procrastinate is to tell ourselves that right now isn’t the best time to start.
But honestly, there is hardly ever a perfect time to start. And if you keep waiting for perfect conditions, whatever perfect conditions might look like for you, you might find that years have rolled by and your dream is still just a dream. Choose to start today.
5. You Can Be Own Cheerleader When People Don’t Support You
It’s important to listen to the people around us when they voice their concerns. But we need to make sure that we don’t focus on getting approval or validation from others.
People won’t always be on board with what you’re trying to do, but it doesn’t mean that what you’re doing is a bad idea. Learn to be your own cheerleader and show up for yourself when others don’t.
6. Progress is better than perfect
Sometimes being a perfectionist slows you down. I don’t expect you to stop being a perfectionist overnight because I know from experience that it is hard to learn to be okay with work that is “good enough”.
But trying to deliver perfect work stops you from putting yourself out there.
For example, I set deadlines for myself when I write blog posts like these. If the deadline comes through and I’m not satisfied, I still publish it anyway because I know that if I gave in to my perfectionist tendencies, I’d never published anything.
If you fixate on getting something to be perfect, you might never get as much done as you could.
7. Failure is part of the journey, too
Truth is, you might fail at first. You might create a routine for yourself, and eventually, stop following it.
You might get demotivated, confused, disappointed, or disillusioned. But don’t give up when you feel like things aren’t working out.
Learn from your mistakes, figure out what you need to do differently, and try again. Or alternatively, pivot and try something different.
So, step out and do whatever it is that you’ve been thinking about. Because it’s better to try than to live your life wondering what would have happened if you had taken the first step.
So what would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail?