Fear of Failure

Are you facing something that scares you?  Is there a big challenge in your life that you’re not sure you’re able to handle?  Is there something you’re thinking about doing but you’re not sure you have what it takes to accomplish?

I know how you feel.  I’m facing something right now, and I’m not entirely sure I can do it.

Today I’m going to be honest about something that scares me.  I’ll share some of my fears in the hopes that I can get over them while inspiring you to get over your fears.  

Sound good?  Okay!  I’ll go first…

Before I do that, I’ll have to give you a little background story…

The girl in the middle of this picture was me.  This photo was taken my junior year of high school as I was running in the state final track meet.  It was during this race that I achieved the 5th fastest time in state history for the 300 low hurdles.

{how a klutz like me was able to run AND make it over the hurdles without tripping is beyond me}  I’ll chalk that up to the grace of God.

In college, I ran on the track team for two years.  After college I kept up a (somewhat) active lifestyle by working out and running.  I’ve even kept up exercising after having two kids, which is a big accomplishment in and of itself.

God has made me to be a pretty athletic person.  I’m not telling you all of this in a prideful way.  You have to know this part of the story to understand my struggle.  

Facing A Choice

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to join a team for a pretty difficult race called the River To River Relay.  Teams made up of 8 people run ALL THE WAY across the state of Illinois, from the Mississippi River to the Ohio River, covering a distance of 80 miles.  Each person on the team will run about 10 – 11 miles of hilly and sometimes very challenging routes.

Sounds crazy, right?

Considering the gifts and talents God has given me to be an athletic person, I should be able to do this race.  Sure it would take some training but if I had the talent to almost win the state title in high school, surely I could handle doing a relay.

That was NOT how I felt.

When I was asked to do the relay, my first gut reaction was shouting “NOOOOOOOO!” in my head.

It doesn’t make sense why I would react that way.

• I have the physical ability.
• I can make time in my schedule to train.
• I’ve done it once before.

Over the next couple of weeks I struggled to come up with a reason not to do the relay.  I knew I didn’t want to do it but I wasn’t sure why.

Then all of a sudden I finally realized what was going on. 

 

Fear of Failure.

Suddenly, that feeling I couldn’t quite put my finger on for weeks now made sense.  I didn’t want to join the team because I was afraid I’d fail. 

• What if I can’t run as fast as my teammates?
• What if I can’t finish the race?
• What if I don’t train enough and embarrass myself?
• Sure I’ve done this race once before but that was 10 years ago and BEFORE my body went through childbirth!

Those fears were spinning around in my head so fast it was making me dizzy.  This fear of failure was keeping me from seeing the truth.

Sure–these fears are all possibilities.  They could happen.  Am I going to let those fears take control or will I take the chance and gain the opportunity to do something amazing?  Running across the state of Illinois with a team of friends would be so much fun and a huge accomplishment!

I had to choose to not let fear take control. I had to choose to take a risk instead.  So, after taking a deep breath, I agreed to do the race and not listen to my fears.

All in all, I’ve come to this conclusion: I’d rather try my best and fail than to never try and miss out on a great opportunity.

Fear of failure has kept me from doing a lot of things.  If you’re reading this then I think it’s a fair bet to say fear of failure has done the same to you.  Here’s some helpful tips to overcome fear of failure.

How To Deal With Fear of Failure

• Take some time to decide if that thing you’re fearing is indeed something you’re supposed to do
• Talk with people you trust to weigh out the different options
• If you feel convinced you should do that thing, commit to it and ask for help if needed
• Don’t let fear take control, instead be motivated by healthy goals (this post is packed with helpful Scripture to battle off fear)
• Write down a couple small goals to get you started
• Think about the potential good things that might come out of the situation
• Tell a someone your decision and ask them to keep you accountable

Do Me A Favor: Keep Me Accountable

I didn’t want to spill the beans about the race on the blog fearing that if I didn’t do well I’d be embarrassed.  Well, I’m facing that fear head-on and telling ALL OF YOU.  (EEEEEEEEK!)

I’m officially putting myself out there & facing my fear of failure.  I hope this encourages YOU to face yours! I’ll be training in the next coming weeks & I’ll keep you posted on how the race goes.  

If you can do me a favor, check in with me to see how the training is going (and make sure I haven’t quit!)

Now it’s your turn!

Is there something you’re scared to do because you’re afraid you’ll fail?  What if you didn’t take that chance and you might miss out on something awesome?  Don’t let fear take control–if you’re pretty convinced you are supposed to do it, face your fears head-on!

• 

Click here to access the free printable!

• What are you fearful about doing? 
• How can I help you face your fear?
• Have you faced fear of failure with a good result?  Leave me a comment and tell me the story!

This story was shared at: Project Inspire(d), Weekend Wind Down and Whimsy Wednesday.