Most of us are hardwired to fear failure. Failure is something that we’ve encountered so often that we could virtually call it an old friend. As children, we toppled several times before we learned to walk. As teenagers, we spent many anxious hours before we cracked that Math problem or understood that Shakespeare's sonnet. Despite failure being a constant, we’ve learned to fear it persistently.
If we consider how fear of failure wrecks us, it is safe to say it serves us no good. As we grow older, the fear of failure stops us from taking risks - one of the most powerful prerequisites for success - thereby, keeping success out of our reach. It clogs our creativity and ability to reinvent ourselves, forcing us to remain in the cage of complacency and conformity forever.
Here is a five-step strategy that can help you break this invisible shackle that binds you:
Change your perspective
A popular Sanskrit saying states, “yatha drishti, tatha srishti”. It means your perspective determines your world. If you say a failure is because of you and you’re not good, then it will turn out to be true. If you associate any failure with self-worth and nurture self-derogatory thoughts, then it will manifest.
But, things can work in your favor if you change your perspective about failure. The seemingly dooming incident becomes an opportunity to grow.
A failure teaches you where to improve, a learning which increases your chance of success. It makes you more skillful as you learn to build different paths to your destination. It makes you more humble, saving you the burden of pride and makes you more empathetic to the less successful.
Dissolve your fear with the power of awareness
Mindfulness is a great way to take control of your emotions. So, next time when the fear of failure gnaws at you, close your eyes and observe your breath. Gradually shift your awareness to the emotion of fear. Slowly, your fear will dissipate, and your breath will resume to normal.
Resolve to be resilient
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “An undying smile is a sign of success. A confidence that cannot be shaken is a sign of success. A fearless attitude in life is a sign of success.” An attitude to smile through any failure that life sends your way and resolve to strike back with resilience. Regular meditation is a wonderful way to increase mental strength and resilience.
Borrow from yoga’s wisdom
A true yogi is the one who works with dispassion. Lord Krishna describes one of the paths of yoga succinctly: “When you work without an expectation of joy, reward, profit or loss and surrender all the fruits of your action to Me (Lord Krishna), then that is Karma yoga.”
Failure does not shake the one who is detached to his actions. So, be unshakeable, be a yogi.
Know that a part of you never fails
“There is a part of you that never fails,” says Gurudev. Success and failure is an external happening. Deep inside you, there is a part that remains unaffected. Knowing this, be at peace and venture forth in life with confidence!
With inputs from Amol Wagle, Faculty, The Art of Living
Written by Vanditaa Kothari
