OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF FAILURE

Are you feeling overwhelmed by not being able to make forward progression? Have you felt like giving up because you are scared? Do you lack the courage to take action because you may not be able to receive the positive outcome you want? Are you stuck in a place that does not seem to allow you to become productive and take the first step toward success? If you are feeling like your possible failures are keeping you from your success do not be discouraged there is always hope.

The first stage toward surviving failure is learning to not take it personally. You have to know one thing and one thing only that failure does not make YOU a failure. It becomes a tumultuous problem when the pain of failure leads to fear of failure because a person who is in this situation finds themselves stuck in what we call the fear cycle. This is a place none of us wants to end up because if you allow fear to overcome you it is virtually impossible to make any forward progression and meet success.

THE FEAR CYCLE

The fear cycle is like a live horror show. It goes something like this. Suppose you tried selling candy when you were little for school and were unsuccessful. You only sold one candy bar. Later, as you became an adult you become a telecommunications person selling products via the phone, guess what that dreaded demon called fear appears his big ugly head. What you may not realize is that whether you are a pastor visiting the sick and shut in, a network marketer needing to make prospecting calls, etc. because of that old childhood fear stemming from selling only one candy bar it continues to appear. Then in the cycle because you have identified the fact that you are fearful you do not take any action and because there is no productivity or action you do not gain any type of experience because of the situation. Guess what, we only learn through our experiences and if your fear stops you from getting to the point of experiencing anything you do not learn anything and then you are incapable of handling similar situations. As you continue this cycle your fear is fed and increases and remaining unchecked it becomes harder to break free from the cycle of fear that is terrorizing you.

3 ACTIONS THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCE WHEN STUCK DUE TO FEAR

When someone is stuck in the fear cycle they often experience one if not all of these three common forms of inactivity.

1. PARALYSIS

Fear can stop people dead in their tracks. It can keep what appears the strongest willed individual from being productive. Fear creates scared cats out of people making them virtually useless to themselves let alone others. Fear stops them from even trying and if not careful being paralyzed by fear and doubt can be dangerous. This debilitating situation makes one lose hope and faith. Once a person loses faith they have given up confidence of any forward progression.

2. PROCRASTINATION

I love what Victor Kiam said about procrastination. He called procrastination opportunity’s natural assassin. I am a true believer in that. Procrastination takes one of your most precious things, something that you cannot replace which is your time. It also steals your productivity and any potential that you have. John C. Maxwell said it so eloquently, “procrastination is too high a price to pay for fear of failure.”

3. PURPOSELESSNESS

It is funny how a person will congratulate him or herself that they made it through their day without messing up. I would call that person a Loser and that is not to offend anyone. But there is nothing worse than a person who does not utilize the one life that God gave them to its maximum. Many people who fear failure they congratulate themselves for not messing up. Instead of pursuing worthy objectives, they avoid the pain of making a little mistake. And through all of their avoidance they often lose sight of any sense of purpose that they once had.

THE NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS

The reason that someone does not want to find themselves in the fear cycle is because the cycle can get large and out of control. There are major side effects as a result of finding yourself in this cycle. Self-pity is at the top of the list and it is that activity that causes people to feel sorry for themselves and take little to no responsibility for his or her inactivity and see themselves as a victim. Excuses are just as great. All you hear is a person saying that everyone else is always at fault. But without taking personal responsibility there is no breaking free. Individuals misuse their energy. Just as a person suffering from A.D.D. does not seem to focus, that is what happens when you have misused energy. You begin to stop on the gas pedal of a car that is in neutral and last is hopelessness. None of these activities are productive or will aid in experiencing breakthrough.

BREAKING FREE OF THE CYCLE

Breaking free from the cycle of fear can be difficult but not impossible. Once a person stops feeling guilty and begin to focus on the correct part of the cycle they break free. There is nothing magical about freeing yourself from fear but in order to conquer it you have to feel fear first and then take action anyway. Much of your life will consist of making mistakes and with that being said once you recognize that fact you will move in the direction of conquering fear. I must tell you that there is good news and bad news when breaking free from the cycle of fear. The bad news is that it is hard if you are inactive for a while. The good news is that as soon as you take your first step each preceding step gets easier.

There are eight (8) little steps toward breaking this debilitating cycle and the first is admitting your fears. There is no way you can break a cycle of any kind unless you believe there is a cycle needing to be broken. You have to recognize that a fear exists in order to overcome it. Your second step is to find out the cause or the root of your fear. Where is it coming from? Is your fear coming from something that is not factual like most people’s fear? Are you being irrational? Find it out and you are on your way to a broken fear cycle. Third, you must come to a true realization how your fears bind you and put a barrier around your success. Fear will cause us to think that our lives will not necessarily end, but that it will never begin. We have no guarantees of success in life and because of this it is best to live life to its fullest. Step number four is to come in agreement that what I call NORMAL fear is just a normal part of developing a progressive life. You will experience fear but it does not have to stop you in your tracks—this type of fear is weakening. There is a fear that is normal and this fear is just the price you will have to pay toward growth. The fifth step is to take that fear that you possess and turn it into desire and aspiration. Use that fear. My philosophy is to use everything that you have. If you have fear why not use it to your advantage and advancement. Number six is to focus on what you can control. Do not waste time of things that you cannot change. You can control your attitude and your calendar. So do not waste time on uncontrollable things. Your seventh step toward breaking the cycle of fear is to focus all of your attention on the blessings of today. You are not able to go back to yesterday nor can you fast forward to tomorrow. God has given you TODAY—so focus on it right now. Last step toward your successful breakthrough is to give your energy to the correct emotion and deny the incorrect one. As long as you live you will experience times where faith and fear are on either shoulder. It is your choice to choose one.

When you standup and go toe to toe with fear you gain strength like none other and become this courageous warrior with incredible confidence. The voice in you begins to tell you “I am more than a conqueror”, “Yes, I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength” and you believe it. Overcoming fear is just you saying to yourself “I can accomplish this because I thought I could not.” I want you to remember that ALL fear no matter how great can be conquered because guess where it first starts. You got it, in your mind and you know what’s so wonderful, your mind can be changed when you use your attitude to do it. Success is Earned…Success is NEVER given, so let’s go and get Purpose Directed Success today!

P.S.: Don’t forget to visit www.cwilliamharper.com and click on the Resources tab for your April Recommended Reading list of books that will empower and train you to become a better network marketer.Did This Help You? If so, I would greatly appreciate if you commented and shared on Facebook. If you got value from this, please share and comment. Would a vision workshop or academy be beneficial to you? If so, leave me a comment! Email: wharper@cwilliamharper.com

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