by Doran Roggio

Have you taken notice that whenever you are about to embark on a business venture, that old demon, Fear of Failure pays you a visit? And nearly paralyzes you? You get those annoying butterflies in your stomach and sleepless nights have you imagining all sorts of painful events. You picture yourself the object of scorn, or worse the object of pity. So you put off trying for the umteenth time, and abandon your dreams.

You are sure that the successful individuals, the superstars of this world must possess some magic blueprint to prosperity that is hidden from the majority of us. You conclude they must be empowered with courage and ingenuity that you cannot match. No so. The success magnates of this world would be the first to tell you that they are no different. They have been visited by the Demon, Fear of Failure, and have had their share of unsuccessful ventures.

You see, Fear of Failure is embodied in all of us. Each of us is apprehensive of an unknown outcome. By nature we like to know what to expect. We like our expectations to be comfortable. We seek approval and gratification and prefer to avoid painful experiences that bring rejection and self-incrimination.

How then do we slay the demon, Fear of Failure, and realize our dreams? There are a few basic steps that will enable victory. Does this mean you will not have failures? Of course not, you will experience some failure. Without failure you cannot succeed. You can adjust your viewpoint, however, and dispel an unhealthy Fear of Failure.

Foremost, you must appreciate that failure is an important step in achieving your success. View your failures as a stairway to your dreams. In climbing a literal staircase you might be able to skip a step or two, however, you would not be able to climb to the top of the stairway in just one leap. Likewise, you cannot reach your goals with one huge jump to prosperity. You must first climb the stairs through a series of small failures and accomplishments. All great success stories grew from small experience, both good and bad. There is no magic blueprint.

Consider, too, that the Fear of Failure is generally much more excruciating than the failure itself. Your imagination can conjure up all kinds of painful events. Don’t let your imagination run rampant. Ask yourself, “What is the worst that can happen?” and then imagine yourself dealing successfully with that obstacle. We human beings are built to be resilient and can withstand a great deal if we know what’s coming. So imagine the worst and how you would react successfully. The emphasis is to imagine overcoming the failure. Perceive yourself successfully moving forward. Do not spend undue time on imagining the worst. What you dwell on is what you will attract to yourself. By perceiving yourself in a feared situation and finding a solution you will alleviate the anxiety of the uncertain outcome.

Fear of Failure will be minimized if you avoid putting unrealistic expectations on yourself. Success and failure is not equal to bad and good. Failure does not identify you as a loser. In simple terms, failure means you made a mistake, miscalculated. Mistakes can be corrected. View the failure as a mistake, learn from it and move on. Just don’t give up. Great successes have often followed the most grueling failures. Most times, would be success was never experienced merely because the person quit at the threshold of fulfilling of his dreams. How sad is that?

Remember if the old demon, Fear of Failure, is overtaking you:

1. Express your fears, tell it to a friend, or write it down. The point is to get your fear in the open where you can put it into perspective.

2. Ask yourself; “What is the worst that can happen?”, then imagine yourself overcoming the situation.

3. View your failures as steps to success. Each time you climb a step you will gain self-confidence and renewed vigor.

4. Do not give up. Success most often arrives when things look the bleakest.

5. Keep a success journal. Write down every accomplishment, no matter how small. Record how it made you feel and what you learned from it. Review it when you feel fearful, in this way you will conquer that old demon, Fear of Failure. Who knows, one day you may be able to write a Success Story and make millions.

Understand, Enjoy, and Have Wealth and Happiness