F

ear. It stops us from trying. It prevents us from reaching our potential. It holds us back.

Fear is what keeps us from doing the things that we truly want to do. But what is it that we actually fear? Failure. Everyone is afraid to fail. We don’t want to disappoint ourselves, our friends, or our families.

Failure can look like a lot of things, but most of them aren’t nearly as bad as we think. Of course that doesn’t stop our imaginations from running wild on how terrible things could turn out.

In the face of our overblown perception of failure, we’re better off doing nothing. Right?

So what does that leave us with? If we choose to avoid risk, to not take the leap, and keep our heads down, what do we have to show for it? Regret.

Instead of having an answer about the many questions we have about ourselves and our lives, we’re left with the unknown. We have no answers, only questions. What if?

Don’t let the fear of what could happen, make nothing happen.

What would you prefer? Do you want answers or more questions? Do you want to know, to be able to answer what if, or simply wonder about it?

This is how you need to re-frame your fear. It’s not a question of failure vs. success, but a question that gives you an answer.

If you take that chance and try to answer that question, at least you have an answer. Failure is a very real possibility, but success is too. Moreover, you don’t have to spend your time thinking about it all day, every day, forever. You can move forward, you can grow, and you can learn from experience.

I’ve failed many times already in my life and I plan to do it a hell of a lot more. More than that, I’m happy I failed because it’s led to lessons, to answers of questions. I’ve gained experience from trying and failing, which has a benefit as well: better questions.Answers are more important than outcomes. Experience is more valuable than dreams. As Wayne Gretzky said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Take your shot. Find your answer. You’ll be better off for it.

Failure is at least an answer, not knowing is far worse.