One of the most pervasive reasons people avoid what they desire most in life and what they are head-and-shoulders most passionate about comes from a fear of failure. In fact, in a recent survey of more than 1,000 respondents conducted by Linkagoal’s Fear Factor Index, a third of American’s fear failure more than spiders, being alone, and even the paranormal![1]
While that is surprising, there’s some level of logic to the notion that fear of failure is the most terrifying fear a human being can experience. The thought is that if we lose on what we think we are most passionate about, then what hope could there possibly be in that dreary landscape thereafter? How could we recover from such a deeply devastating failure?
It is this fear that holds people back to live in that melancholy reality, rather than take the calculated risk so eloquently asserted by Theodore Roosevelt, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”[2]
President Roosevelt is a fitting example of someone who accomplished what he was passionate about, despite the setbacks in life he had experienced that could have easily disillusioned him from striving for anything noteworthy—let alone becoming the youngest president in US history. [3] Teddy Roosevelt suffered from ill health since his youth and in his early adulthood, two simultaneous tragic events proved to be momentous in his path to the presidency. In 1884, his wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on the same day.
The fact is that we all face daily setbacks—some, of course, more significant than others—and that is what daily living is all about. In the same manner, the pursuit of the goals about which we are most passionate will be riddled with peaks and valleys, triumphs and setbacks. The difference is that it’s much better to look back at the difficult road we encountered while in pursuit of what we were most passionate than that cold and grey path that avoided all risks and danger and at best allowed us to merely survive.
We will all “fail” at one point or another. The only difference between winning and not losing is the will and courage to get back up and keep moving after each setback.[4]
In fact, studies have shown that unless individuals or companies fail, they cannot truly succeed. This has been observed time and time again in history. Scott Seinberg, in his book, Make Change Work For You, discovered that 90% of companies change their strategic direction in order to experience growth.[5]
The truth is we have to fail in order to learn, to shift to improve and ultimately, to achieve success at anything and everything. It’s what lies at the crux of victory.
The truth is we have to fail in order to learn, to shift to improve and ultimately, to achieve success at anything and everything. It’s what lies at the crux of victory.
Questions to consider
- Are you and your organization pursuing challenging, passion-driven goals? If so, are you staying the course or do you find that the goal is forsaken as soon as you encounter resistance?
- How would your professional and personal life turn if you were to pursue
those hard-to-reach aspirations?
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[2] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/51936-far-better-it-is-to-dare-mighty-things-to-win
[3] https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/theodore-roosevelt/
[4] https://billwooditch.com/successful-people-fail-get-back-up/