TIE #018: The Four Step Process for Overcoming the Fear of Failure

If you don't do this, you'll never escape the rat race.

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9 out of 10 people who want to escape the rat race fail before they even start, thanks to their fear of failure.

I just made that statistic up, but the idea is true.

Part of this is because of our wonderful (I’m obviously joking) school system:

Jarek Lewis @jarrylew

School teaches people that failure has no value. That’s why A students make great employees and why C students hire them.

It doesn’t matter how much someone knows about a specific idea, many never proceed beyond “knowing” to “doing”, thanks to this fear.

However, if you want to build a life that allows you to live on your terms and the schedule you choose, you must overcome the fear of everything going wrong.

The first step to this process is simple:

1. Acknowledge that your fear of failure exists

My advice: You can’t overcome it if you aren’t willing to admit it.

The next step is where the difficulty increases:

2. Acknowledge that your fear of failure likely stems from not wanting to let yourself or others down

My advice: This logic is flawed and backwards.

You must understand that by NOT acting, you are letting yourself down.

We don’t let ourselves down when we fail, we just go back to where we started with a lot more experience.

As long as you aren’t investing way more money than you should, there isn’t any real risk.

Not doing anything (if you are unhappy with your current lifestyle) is the greater risk.

Then we have this important step:

3. Acknowledge that your fear of failure likely also stems from worrying about what other people will think if you fail

My advice: If you make decisions based on what other people will think, you are in for a rough life.

Almost everyone is too busy and too self-centered to pay attention to what you’re doing. If they aren’t, they’re not worth being around anyway.

If you can’t bear the idea of worrying your family, spouse, or friends by trying something that is anti-traditional, you will never escape the rat race.

Bonus tip: Keep your side hustles and business ventures private and move in silence. If they fail, no one will know regardless.

Lastly, we have this step:

4. The only thing that awaits you if you don’t try is regret

My advice: Trying something that you may fail at is a scary thought. You know what’s an even scarier thought?

Being 85 years old and feeling the pain of what life could have been if you would have taken that first step.

We only get one shot at this game.

You either get over it or you surrender to it and feel the sting of regret later.

I chose to leave no question unanswered. That way, when I’m 85 I will be at peace that I gave every opportunity a try.

There will be no “what-ifs” left on the table.

That choice is also yours to make. I can’t make it for you.

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