How to Conquer “Atychiphobia” the Fear of Failure

How to Conquer Atychiphobia The Fear of Failure

I know the word I used in the headline of this article seems impossible to pronounce, but it means “Fear of Failure”, and it’s a condition many people are suffering from and they aren’t even aware of it.

Think about it.

Have you ever seen someone else achieve great success and thought to yourself or told others, “that looks so simple, I could do that too,” only to never actually follow through with it?

You may find yourself wanting to take on a certain job or project, but feeling like you need to have the perfect website, resume, or experience before you start.

Have you ever stopped to think about why you haven’t taken action? Or maybe you did start, but after just a week or two of effort, your enthusiasm fizzled out and you gave up.

And of course, there are always the excuses we tell ourselves: no time, not enough money, etc.

I’m all too familiar with these excuses because I used them myself.

I would even tell myself that the terrible economy was keeping me from succeeding. And while the economy is terrible, I realized that I didn’t want to start something because I didn’t want to fail at it.

It’s easy to dream about being a millionaire and all the things we’d do or accomplish once achieving that monetary status. We don’t think about the amount of work or dedication required to reach that financial level.

Being faced with those realities can sometimes make us prefer to maintain dreams over pursuing what we truly want in reality.

Having a dream is easy, making it a reality is much harder.

Let’s get into how to conquer Atychiphobia (a fear of failure) and push ourselves to convert our dreams into tangible goals that we can start building on.

How to Overcome Atychiphobia

Self-Awareness and Acceptance

A fear of failure is actually a fear of social acceptance. We live in a world where we put such high value on how we’re viewed socially. This is possibly due to the fact that social media has such a heavy influence in todays society.

First, just understand that what you’re feeling is common.

Many people are afraid of what others will think about them. Acknowledge your emotions, then analyze the reasons behind them.

When a child fails at something, we encourage them to try again. With each attempt, they get better and improve their skills. We often forget that this concept applies to adults as well. We need to treat ourselves the way we would treat a child learning a new skill.

If we practice a task 100 times over 100 days, we will see improvement in our performance. Whether it’s exercising, drawing, or learning a new skill, consistent effort leads to progress.

Set Realistic Goals

If you have a goal of starting a new business, break it down into manageable tasks.

For example, in week 1, research successful businesses in your industry. In week 2, look into the necessary legal licenses and documentation.

While it may be more exciting to jump into designing your website or creating social media pages for your dream business, tackling the less enjoyable technical aspects is required for progress.

After you do each task celebrate your accomplishments! Maybe treat yourself to ice cream, watch your favorite movie or write words of encouragement to yourself.

This is to mentally help the brain develop a sense of work being rewarding.

Challenge Negative Thoughts

Recognize and confront any negative thought patterns you may have about failure. Are you constantly imagining worst-case scenarios or assuming that everything will go wrong?

Instead, try replacing these thoughts with more realistic and positive ones.

For example, if your dream is to run a marketing firm but you don’t currently have the resources or time, start by considering smaller steps such as working as a freelance marketer for local businesses while keeping your day job.

This can help build towards your ultimate goal and make the learning curve much easier.

Learn from Failure

There’s a saying that goes “fail forward”, as humans, we are bound to experience failures in life. It’s like a child learning how to ride a bike, falling off is unavoidable, but we must get back on and try again.

Instead of seeing failure as a reflection of our worth, embrace it as an opportunity for growth and appreciate the learning experience is can provide.

After facing a setback, take the time to analyze what went wrong, identify areas for improvement, and come up with new approaches for similar situations in the future.

Remember, failing forward means moving towards success one step at a time.

Seek Support

It’s perfectly normal to feel scared or anxious about failure. I do get it, we all want to feel like we’re making choices that lead toward some type of success and it’s important to talk to someone about these feelings.

Talk to a close friend, family member, or even a therapist. Sharing your thoughts and feelings can provide much-needed support and help you gain perspective.

The power to conquer your fears lies within you. Take those first few steps and pursue the life you’ve always wanted to have.

Even if you stumble along the way, as long as you make the choice to continue you are a success the moment you decide you are. No one else makes that decision, but yourself.

That’s just my two cents on the matter.

Until next time,

-Jess

(I also write articles on Medium: https://medium.com/@itsjessmytwocents)