Creating space for learning can help us overcome our fears
Staying open to learning goes hand in hand with having space to think. While reflection is often a way of learning about yourself, you also need to create space for learning by adopting the right mind-set, one that is receptive to growth and development.
Generally speaking, everyone has one of two mind-sets – either a fixed mind-set, where you believe learning stops at some point since the brain can only hold a fixed amount of information, or a growth mind-set, where you believe you can always learn more. The fixed mind-set, though, has been scientifically debunked. Neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich has shown that our brains are all “soft-wired” and capable of neuroplasticity. In other words, your brain is always changing based on the input you provide it.
This means that a healthy brain is always capable of learning, allowing us to grow and change to overcome our fears. Take the fear of failure, for example. As widespread as fear of failure is, there’s a straightforward way to deal with it – incorporating failure into a growth mind-set and accepting it as a learning opportunity.
For example, Rachel worked for a global snack company. Rachel had such deep-seated fear of failure that she was prone to what’s known as catastrophic thinking – believing that if she made the slightest mistake, everything would fall apart and she’d end up destitute.
Provide space for Rachel to reflect on the source of her fears so she could start learning to think differently. Doing so made Rachel discovered that her fear of failure stemmed from her mother, who had been unemployed and homeless for some time. As a result, Rachel had the unconscious fear that any mistake, or even asking for help, could cause her to end up like her mother. Over time, Rachel learned to think differently and eventually came to see that asking for help isn’t a sign of failure.
As with reflection, you must put in the effort to create a space for learning. This includes making time, as well as finding a good place and helpful resources, such as a mentor, for self-improvement.
