Let’s be curious - reframing Failure

Fear of failure is all too common. There’s judgment, mostly from yourself. I could have done better. I didn’t think it through. I feel like an idiot. I feel less than. What will people think?

Meanwhile, everyone else is impressed that you made the effort and put your all into it. They think it took courage and wish they were brave enough to try it, whatever “it” is. In fact, they are beating themselves up for not trying to make a go of it. And so it goes. Even folks who are impressed with your efforts are beating themselves up and feel like a failure.

Fear of failure is so embedded in our psyches that it stops us in our tracks. It’s like touching a hot burner. I won’t do that again.

What if you gave yourself permission to fail? Seriously. What if you changed your mindset about failure and approached it from curiosity? Treat it like an experiment - what if I tried this or this or this? What would happen? Ok, that didn’t quite work. What if I tried it this way? How much better would that be? How much more open to possibility would you be if you took the fear out of the equation? Ok, I’m not naive. A little angst is in order and probably healthy. It can certainly motivate you. And I know there are real-life consequences and others to think about. Yet, I can’t help thinking that a new approach may be a healthy choice.

Let’s explore what this shift in mindset can do for you.

Encourages innovation and creativity - When you're not afraid to fail…