Fear of Failure -- Good/Bad?

[Sunnybayes]

I don't know guys. I'm starting to have mixed feelings about the fear of failure. On one hand it seems like it might be a bad thing, but on the other it seems like it might be a powerful driving force. Cause if you are being chased by a lion, I don't think you'd ever run faster in your entire life. Thoughts?

[Shamou]

Great thread…

Tony Robbins tells us something to the effect that, "Certainty is the cutting edge of champions…" It is what makes the difference between success and failure…

If you are certain that you will succeed in a project… you will be motivated to give it all you’ve got… however, if you are uncertain… you will probably quit at the first major obstacle…

Certainty inspires… certainty gives you assurances and confidence… certainty will push you to your limits… certainty is the hallmark of all great people and behind all great achievement…

Certainty is the only way to go… that is… unless you are being chased by a lion… in that case… I would chose fear...

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[Sunnybayes]

Yea. That's what I'm talking about. Choosing to fear something. I am fearless, but it seems that by conciously choosing to fear something, then you could take advantage of the fight or flight response for an extra boost.... but making sure that you don't over do it so that the bad symptoms of stress don't hurt you.

[Shamou]

This is a great thread and I don’t want to hijack it… but I would like to say this about strong emotions such as fear, anger, rage etc…

No emotion is either good or bad… emotions are tools that can be used to do something that could not be accomplished if we did not use that particular emotion…

Case in point… if you are being attacked by someone stronger than you… rage can be used to overcome your aggressor…

However, strong emotions misused can have devastating effect… so, strong emotions should be used to empower us and not the other way around…

The ultimate mastery is self-mastery… and that implies the correct use of emotion… ultimately, the strongest and most powerful emotion is love… let us use it wisely…

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[lindeelou]

Fear of failure is I believe, a pretty common fear felt by most people.
It however, should not take over your life to the point that you are paralyzed by this fear, and therefore don't ever take chances, try new things, accept change, meet new people, go new places, try new foods or any of the things no matter how large or small that we are afraid of.
I have suffered from panic attacks on and off throughout my adult life, and this fear comes from nowhere, but it is a real fear, shaking, like you are going to die fear. That fear had no redeeming value.
Have I gotten off topic or what? is this about failure or about fear?

[Another Jen]

My all purpose question - does it work? If it's working for you then why not, personally I can think of far more fun and enjoyable motivational strategies but if it works and you're happy with that method than keep doing it.

The thing about failure that was pointed out to me is that failure is often connected to some concept of time. For example I have worked with several clients who now list some of the things they are most proud and their biggest achievements as events that when the happened they classed as a failure. I find it intersting to consider, if there is anything I class as a failure will I still think of it as that in 10 days time, 10 months time, 10 years time etc. The strange thing is the more I've done this the less things I see as failure, after all people don't fail its the plans and behaviours that haven't worked.

[Michael Chui]

Fear of failure seems, to me, to be the wrong reason to run from a lion. Perhaps a desire to see your loved ones again is a better motivation. I was able to use just that as a second wind when doing some sprinting a few years back. (I don't go running often.) There wasn't really a failure case for me, then, so there wasn't anything to fear. But I imagined, for a moment, that I needed to push my endurance just a bit further because I might need it. So I pushed and kept going.

I'd recommend desiring success so badly that you just have to keep going, because you want it and you have to have it. Failure isn't an option. You're not afraid of it; it's simply not a possible outcome.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Another Jen

The strange thing is the more I've done this the less things I see as failure, after all people don't fail its the plans and behaviours that haven't worked.

You are one hundred percent correct... there are no failures... only results... (action/reaction... predictable results are inevitable...)

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