Fear of Failure
There's lots of great motivational quotes and also some which at first glance appear motivational but actually convey a subliminally negative message.
One such quote is one I see bandied about here quite a lot (with positive intent no doubt) is:
Failure Is Not An Option!
Failure is Not an Option is a phrase associated with Gene Kranz and the Apollo 13 Moon landing mission. Although Kranz is often attributed with having spoken those words during the mission, he did not.
It is spoken in the film by Ed Harris, who was playing Gene Kranz, and said "We've never lost an American in space; we're sure as hell not going to lose one on my watch. Failure is not an option." (According to Wikipedia)
The problem with this cliche is that it breeds a fear of failure and people become reluctant to try new things and push beyond their comfort zone in case they encounter the dreaded failure.
Here's a better quote (in my opinion):
John W. Gardner said,
"We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth. It assures the progressive narrowing of the personality and prevents exploration and experimentation. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure - all your life."
Since spending more time on my websites recently I have encountered multiple failures and in the process I have learned a hell of a lot.
One such example is in the past week I carried out an analysis of my email lists and found that well over 20% of my subscribers haven't even opened one of my emails for 3 months. Initially I was shocked and disappointed but I have since learned that this is not uncommon.
I have discovered several subscribers on more than one list which I have now rectified and I have also learned about how to re-engage inactive subscribers. It has also forced me to re-evaluate some of my email marketing follow-ups to try to improve that too.
Failure is only a problem if you give up trying to resolve problems or do things better. Failure is simply an opportunity to learn new skills and grow as an entrepreneur.
Stop fearing failure and start viewing it in a more positive light.
Keep failing forward!
Dave
Recent Comments
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Well said Dave, I think a lot of people fear failure so much that they don't even try.
I have heard people say things like. 'I wouldn't be any good at that'
I am reminded of some who when asked if they can play the piano said,
'I don't know, I have never tried'
Best wishes
Gaz
Very true Gaz. It's incredibly to concede defeat without even trying.
Fear of failure is insidious.
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Hi Dave,
Thank you for this article. As you rightly said, failure is an opportunity to learn, which reminds me of a quote; "Life is a cruel teacher; first it punishes you, and then it will teach you a lesson."
In light of this, I prefer learning from other people's mistakes, but I have had a fair, or should I say the generous share of my own mistakes too.
When I need to make a decision, I'm trying my best to include the risk management aspect into my thought process.
The benefit of thinking things through a risk management lens is that it will give an answer to the following four questions:
"What would be the worst thing that could happen in this particular case?"
"What is the likelihood of this happening?"
"What I'm going to do if the risk materializes?"
"How much would that cost?"
Once you have the answers to those, it will help to deal with a fear of trying. Also, if the risk is too much, you can walk away with a sense of satisfaction that you just dodged that bullet.
Finally, to have my feet on the ground, I'm trying to keep in mind that black swans aren't extinct, far from it actually.
No matter how much risk management one practices, life still could get on the way.
Kind regards,
Aki
Hi Aki
Thanks for your insight into this. Applying some risk management is definitely a way to reduce the liklihood of failure and perhaps to prepare for it too.
Cheers
Dave