Is your fear of failure holding you back?

Katherine is good at her job and works hard. But when opportunities to volunteer for new projects and extra responsibilities come up, why does she sit on her hands?

Fear of failure (FOF) is one of the most common reasons why women hold themselves back in their careers, or in reaching their personal goals.

Failure is, to one person a learning opportunity; to, another a disaster. You can see it as proof that you're not good enough, or as an essential part of growing and moving forward in life.

You'll know you're struggling with FOF if;

• you are reluctant to try new things
• you procrastinate
• you get anxious when you get a new opportunity
• you have negative beliefs such as:

"I'm not good enough."

"Everyone else is more confident."

"Even if I did it, others would do it better."

The big problem with failure is that, not only does it bring feelings of guilt and regret, it can also bring feelings of shame. Which means feeling bad about who you actually are. If you fear failure you actually fear feeling bad about yourself...and maybe that might not be as scary as you think.

To overcome your fear of failure, try seeing it from a perspective of learning and opportunity; take small steps, don't overthink it and focus on the things in your control.

"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat."

Napoleon Bonaparte

Good luck!

Jo