Getting Over the Fear of Failure

 

Getting over the Fear of Failure

Q? What Does that Even Mean? Isn't failure bad enough - never mind the fear of failure. I was looking for an emoji to place here and on Pixabay  there was such scary options that I was about to give up until I found this little guy in orange. 

We hear this statement often enough. Sounds important and yet I dismiss it because it doesn't make sense to me - at least initially. Unless I look into it to understand.  Are we afraid of failing or afraid of criticism by others or both? If you were unfortunate enough for example to grow up in a family where criticism was over used as a parenting strategy for control (as an obvious bad parenting skill), then criticism can definitely be something to only have in small doses or avoid.  And what do we do about it? 

An Unlikely Source

  

I was reading one of my art instructor's newsletters and there it was! She was dealing with a broken foot and how she described the challenges with life on one foot and the "striking parallels" with struggles she has seen her art students saying "particularly the tendency to convince ourselves that something is too difficult before even trying." And we know that happens in the horse world as well. It seems universal.

?Are you hindered by your fear?

She goes on to say that her responsibilities hadn't changed and even though she dreaded how she was going to get her chores done of feeding her animals, "But when I finally pushed past my doubts and just did it, I realized it was manageable." 

The Key to Getting Over the Fear of Failure

 Pushing past your doubts. Now she knows that she is quite capable of feeding her animals with her broken foot. She explains: "The key was getting out of my own head, trusting I'd figure it out, and taking action."

Trusting I'd Figure It Out

Horse goals are the same way. A big goal of competing in a big provincial show or even a national can be daunting for sure. In closing, my art instructors says: "That mental block holds us back. Instead, we need to step up and try. Then try again, refine our approach, learn from mistakes, and keep going. The belief that something is 'too hard' is the real obstacle. Don’t waste time stressing over daunting tasks... Dive in, do your best, and you’ll go further than fear ever allows."  Couldn't have said it better myself. Great words to live by. Thanks Lisa.

My you have great success in your horse endeavors and non-horse endeavors.  And tell the critics where to go. ;)

Putting my Spin on Overcoming Fear of Anything

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners