
Low self-esteem or self-confidence – commonly using negative statements such as "I'll never be good enough to get that promotion," or "I'm not smart enough to get on that team.". Self-sabotage – for example, procrastination, excessive anxiety, or a failure to follow through with goals. A reluctance to try new things or to get involved in challenging projects. You might experience some or all of the following symptoms if you have a fear of failure: And you carry that fear even now, years later. The experience might have been so terrible that you became afraid of failing in other things. For example, say that several years ago you gave an important presentation in front of a large group, and did very poorly. Because they were routinely undermined or humiliated in childhood, they carry those negative feelings into adulthood.Įxperiencing a traumatic event in your life can also be a cause. For instance, having unsupportive or critical parents is a cause for some people. But fear of failure (also called "atychiphobia") is when we allow that fear to stop us doing the things that can move us forward to achieve our goals.įear of failure can be linked to many causes. Many of us are afraid of failing, at least some of the time. Overcome your fear of failure and move forward to achieve your goals.
A failure to one person might simply be a great learning experience for someone else. We all have different definitions of failure, simply because we all have different benchmarks, values, and belief systems. To find the causes of fear of failure, we first need to understand what "failure" actually means. In this article, we'll examine fear of failure: what it means, what causes it, and how to overcome it to enjoy true success in work, and in life. But when we allow fear to stop our forward progress in life, we're likely to miss some great opportunities along the way.
The fear of failing can be immobilizing – it can cause us to do nothing, and therefore resist moving forward. Many of us have probably experienced this at one time or another. Have you ever been so afraid of failing at something that you decided not to try at all? Or has fear of failure meant that, subconsciously, you undermined your own efforts to avoid the possibility of a larger failure?