Are you afraid of the word ‘failure’ especially when it comes to your career? In a diverse workplace, many negative emotions are brought to mind when one thinks of the word ‘failure’. No one wants to fail and we all are afraid of failing in what we attempt to do. There is nothing like the taste of success!
However, success will not have its attraction if it were not for failure. Everything would be mundane if all people succeeded in anything they chose to do. Therefore expect failure in life.
One should not be afraid of failure. It will not mean the end of the world. After failing in several attempts to do what one wants to achieve, success will taste all the sweeter when it is eventually achieved.
How Can the Emotion of Fear of Failure be Explained?
Among diverse professionals, fear of failure can be the fear of not being able to fulfill a task or the inability to complete some task within a timeframe. The fear of failure can also be rooted in a past experience that did not go well and there is a fear of failing again, especially in a diverse workforce. This fear is often greater than the actual failure event.
Fear thoughts can show themselves in many ways from feelings of anxiety to even depression. Fears arise when a person thinks about the likely hood of failing. This is an emotion that is natural in anyone’s life.
Emotions of fear can be overpowering and paralyzing for certain people, but for others, it can be a challenge to take action and begin anew and try things that they may not have thought of doing before.
It is quite common to feel fear when confronted with a new challenge. Some professionals fail to be inclusively diverse and can’t handle the fear of failure. Thus they look to other ways to try and overcome the challenge. Some try to control their fear through meditation and mindfulness. Others turn to counselors and friends or family members who they feel can give them support in confronting the situation.
Fear of failure can lead a person to face the challenge and be determined to succeed or it can cause a person to be immersed in self-doubt and worry. The fear factor can arise from numerous causes, but they often originate from external factors which are beyond the control of a person such as the environment in which the person grew up and life circumstances. The factors may also come from a person’s personality makeup, mental health, degree of women diversity in the workplace, or personal limitations.
Use Failure as a Propelling Factor
It is essential to analyze the psychological impact of the fear of failure in order to know how it affects our lives so that we can overcome it. If people are avoiding tasks or situations because they are afraid of failing, then they will be likely to not venture into the situation or task. People behave differently in their everyday lives due to the impact of the fear of failure. They lead a less satisfactory life overall because they avoid taking risks.
Through failure, we learn many lessons and this in turn makes us into more confident personalities that will help us overcome future obstacles that will come our way. We will grow into toughened personalities that will help in facing tough situations.
Failure should make a person more innovative and motivated to keep trying to look for better solutions to the obstacles one faces. Thomas Edison’s famous quote, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” should inspire us to keep plodding on rather than giving in to depression and negativity because we have not succeeded.
“Don’t think about your errors or failures; otherwise, you’ll never do a thing.”-Bill Murray