If someone asked you, “What’s holding you back from your dreams?” you may be quick to say, “I don’t have the time,” or “Life gets in the way,” but we have a hunch it might be something else. It might be your fear of the “F” word … Failure.
While we don’t mean to, often we hold ourselves back from going after a big goal or dream because deep-down, we have a fear that things won’t work out. We worry, “What if my plan wasn’t such a good one after all?” or “What if I can’t do all I thought I could?” Sometimes we’re even afraid of what happens if we succeed. “What if people don’t like me?” “What if my life changes so much I lose touch with myself?”
All that fear keeps us from moving forward. And then, because things don’t happen we’re left with the big “R” word … Regret. And dwelling over things that “could have been,” is no way to live a happy life!
We know it’s not always easy to embrace failure, but now’s the time to go for your goals, so do yourself a favor and try this little exercise:
- Write down your top three to five goals for this year.
- Next, write down what you’re afraid of when going after, or reaching them? What worries do you have?
- Play a little game with yourself and ask yourself is that worry even real? Does it actually matter? When you really think about “what’s the worst thing that can happen?” it’s often never as bad as we originally thought.
Get to the root of your fears so you can see they’re not as powerful as they first seemed. And they’re definitely not as powerful as Y-O-U. Remind yourself what Mickey Rooney said, “You always pass failure on your way to success.” And consider all of the people who “failed” before succeeding (hello Oprah and Walt Disney!).
There are bound to be ups and downs on your path to a happier, more fulfilled life, but don’t let the fear of failure hold you back from the life you truly want to live. Facing failure may not be easy, but it’s certainly better than looking back on your life with regret.
Believing in you!
XO,
Emily and the EveryDay Happy Team
P.S. Are you following us on Instagram? Each story or post is like a mini moment of motivation and inspiration! Join us over at everydayhappy.life to see for yourself. 🙂
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Quote du jour
“Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” — Napoleon Hill
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