You need to face your fear of failure, Right here and now

The fear of failure is one of the strongest deterrents when it comes to seizing opportunities and transforming your goals into realities. In fact, a recent survey found that 30% of American entrepreneurs cite ‘fear of failure’ as their main reason for avoiding opportunities that could bring them greater success.

But this concern isn’t just work-related—it can also impact your personal relationships and your self-confidence, which is why you need to face this worry now.

If you find yourself trapped in a never-ending loop of procrastination, this is because you’re limited your potential due to a fear of failure and rejection. A joint study by multiple universities found that people who procrastinate the most tend to be the biggest perfectionists, and procrastination is used as a tool in order to avoid what is seen as inevitable: failure.

However, the thing that people who suffer from this fear have a difficult time understanding is that failure is not the end of the world. If you recognize that you are allowing this fear to hold you back, the question you must ask yourself is this: What do you have to truly be afraid of?

Is your worry rooted in the opinion of others? Oftentimes self-doubt builds a false narrative our heads and fear of what others think of you could limit your confidence and willingness to take chances.

Or maybe your fear comes from something more tangible, such as financial concerns. If you worry that taking a chance on your dreams could disrupt your day job or your steady incomes, you aren’t alone. But you’ll never know if a larger success is within your reach if you’re unwilling to let go and put all of your effort towards trying something new.

You have to be willing to feel the fear and still take the leap.

Learning from failure helps to reevaluate your planning, rework your execution, and identify the variables that are within your power to control. Once you allow yourself to face the possibility of failure, you can arm yourself with the knowledge you gain from reassessment.

If you face your fear and fail, the next time you try you’ll be able to avoid the pitfalls that initially trapped you and move forward with a greater sense of confidence; having defeated what was standing in your way.


Not all plans work out and sometimes you’ll have to deal with outcomes that don’t go your way. But encountering failure doesn’t mean that you are a failure; failing to take the plunge does. Once you’re able face that truth, there’s no holding back on your dreams.

Steve Harvey