WAKEshine

Imagine yourself trying to walk on a two-by-four laying on the floor without falling off.  Are you afraid of failing?

Now imagine that same board stretched between the 38th-floor windows of two adjacent buildings.  The odds of failing are the same.  However, I would certainly be afraid to make that walk.  But is that a fear of failure?  Or a fear of falling?  A fear of falling or a fear of hitting the ground?  Or a fear of pain or death?

By bundling up fears like that in the term "fear of failure," we tend to avoid facing what it is that we are really afraid of.

Now look at that fear.  What’s a worst-case scenario if you were to try and fail?

You could have a fear of rejection, abandonment, loss of security, or embarrassment.  There are many more.

Obviously, those fears are much more specific than a general "fear of failure" and each would be dealt with in a different way.

The good news is, the closer you get to identifying the real fear, the easier it is to deal with it.

What are you scared to do?  Leave me a comment of a task you’ve been putting off, and what the fear is behind it.