Why the Fear of Failure is a Liability

‘I’ve missed more than 9000 shots… failed over and over… that’s why I succeed.’ — Michael Jordan

“Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” — Jordan (Kip-koech on Flickr)

A few weeks ago, my cousin flew up for a visit. Because this was his first taste of the Big Apple, I served as the tour guide.

Riding a New York City subway had him at hello. Bright-eyed, Don smiled from ear to ear. And like most teens, he complained how school gets on his nerves while girls stay on his mind.

“Genius,” he said, “how can I get over the fear of failing?”

Ah, because what’s understood needs no explanation, I laughed to myself. “Young fella, what’s her name?”

To make a long story a dwarf, Don feared his crush would reject him. And so, because there’s no reality, only perception, which explains why “perception is reality,” I shared with him the following hack for combating the fear of failure.

I. Fear of Failure is Perception

It’s the mind that shapes things, not things that shape the mind. (Brittany.lee2 on Wikimedia Commons)

Fear, like beauty, lies in the eye of the beholder. For this reason:

Change how you look at things = things…