The Two Core Fears and the Fear of Failure by Lisa Jimenez, M. Ed.

All of these surface fears fall into two categories, which are the core fears: Fear of Failure and Fear of Success. If you experience fear of commitment, responsibility, growing up, or change, your core fear is the fear of success. If most of your anxiety comes from fear of rejection, confrontation, or not measuring up, your core fear is the fear of failure.

Let’s talk today about the fear of failure. The fear of failing is more common to the person who experiences anxiety from confrontation, rejection, or a feeling of not measuring up (the perfectionist). Your fear of failure has held you back. I see it in the new consultant who will not give a class or an opportunity meeting until they can be sure it will be perfect. So they read and reread their training manual to exhaustion. The reality is there is no better training than real-world, in-the-trenches experience!

Failure is part of your journey of success. Psychologists tell us that if a child has not had a serious fall within the first year of life, they are being too closely guarded (smothered). It’s the same with your life. Is your life too closely guarded? Are you being smothered in safety? Do you allow yourself to risk? Give yourself permission to make a big mistake! Every successful life is sprinkled with failure. It means you’re growing! Failure is a part of success. When you change your beliefs about failure—and what it’s about—you’ll silence your fears. Failures are stepping stones taking you closer to success. Give yourself permission to risk, try something new, make a mistake, and live a bold, imaginative, daring life!

—Lisa Jimenez, M. Ed.