“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” ―Winston Churchill
The advice for overcoming the fear of failure is the willingness to let go of mastering time and enjoy the process. If you love what you do and do what you love, then the process becomes your focus.
You’ve no doubt heard the adage: ‘think with the end in mind.’ By orienting yourself to the fulfilment of the goal, it affords you the opportunity to engineer the steps required in reverse.
In his widely acclaimed book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Dr. Stephen R. Covey proposes we think about our goal with the end in mind, as alluded to earlier.
Many people give up on their goal for a variety of reasons. Perhaps their goal is not imbued with the passion and purpose they hope for. Therefore, we must foster an indestructible passion and conviction toward the realisation of our goal and not contemplate failure as an option.
Ponder this for a moment: which is greater, the joy of success or the misery of defeat? Are you motivated to succeed or are you motivated to avoid pain?
Psychologists call this the pain-pleasure principle. The avoidance of pain may be likened to mice administered electric shock treatment within a lab environment. They are discouraged from attaining the reward since the pain overwhelms the pleasure of the reward.
In order to realise a goal, an attitude of consistent persistence must be accompanied by an undeniable belief to succeed. Consistent dedication is paramount, given our daily habits lead toward success or failure.
Consistency matched with passion, enthusiasm and desire ultimately lead toward the path of success. Before we consider giving up, we ought to rest or take a mini break if we must.
Sometimes we need a break from the pursuit of our goal in order to gain clarity and perspective. It was Albert Einstein who once said: “You can’t solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it in the first instance.”
Therefore, if we consider our goal with a new mind, it allows us to see possible opportunities that may not have been apparent previously. One can never predict how long it takes to achieve success or achieve their goal.
If we pursue our goal with an undeniable belief and conviction, then success will assuredly greet us in due course. The process becomes far more enjoyable than the victory itself.