The thought of failing at something is often paralyzing. Who doesn’t fear failure?! The disappointment, the embarrassment, all the self-defeating self-talk that follows. It’s enough to make you say, “f#@% that!” I mean, who needs that aggravation right?!
Wrong!
It’s no wonder so many people give up on their dreams. The thing is, you don’t have to give up on them. You don’t have to be afraid of failing.
The trick is to frame failure in a different light.
Think about it. When was the last time you failed? You felt pretty crappy I bet. Was it the end of the world as you knew it? Hardly!
There’s no doubt that failing at something, anything, can totally feel like a miserable experience. But regardless of how bad you feel after failing just know that if you dust yourself off and get back to work, success is just a few more potential failures away.
Check out these quotes by some well-known public figures:
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” - Robert F. Kennedy
“If you don’t try at anything, you can’t fail… it takes back bone to lead the life you want” - Richard Yates
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” - Thomas A. Edison
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” - Paulo Coelho
Get the point?
In the past, I would tell myself that all I wanted to do was my small part to contribute to society. What a load of crap! That was me being afraid of failure.
However, once I reframed my fears, it made all the difference in the world. In fact, it was reframing my fears that helped me move from Miami to NYC to start a whole new life, and lead to co-creating The Vital Guide.
The truth is that I’m always dreaming up big ideas. Often, when I’m listening to some great tunes and the inspiration hits me, it’s often so powerful that I can’t help but get emotional. That’s how big I like to dream, and I know you do too!
What is the biggest thing you can dream of that will make a significant impact on yourself, your family, our society, or the world? What is your passion?
If you’re like me, it can’t just be any old thing. It has to have significance, it has to have some element of greatness to it, and it has to be done with integrity.
Here's a quick breakdown of one of my favorite quotes.
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life, which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
- Henry David Thoreau -
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams
Take action! Big leaps of faith type of action - you will be rewarded.
and endeavors to live the life, which he has imagined,
Dream big, feel it in your heart, and follow up daily with action that will get you one step closer to your goals regardless of how small that action seems.
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Party like a rock star, you have arrived!
Manifesting your dreams takes time, effort, and sacrifice so begin taking action now. There are no guarantees, and you may even fail a bunch of times before you realize your goals. So what?
I invite and encourage you to continue moving forward. Don't let your fear of failure stop you, no matter how painful you think it may feel.
Here are three things that you can begin doing today to start reframing your fear of failure.
- Learn from inspiring people that motivate you to take action.
- Like Thomas Edison, find the ways that don’t work & use them as stepping stones to success.
- Have the courage & confidence to move beyond your fears.
If you want help or need support around this, contact us here at The Vital Guide. We'll gladly guide you on your path toward manifesting your dreams!
Get to it!