Fear of Failure is Stopping Many of America’s Greatest People

Fear has stopped some of the greatest people on the planet from being the best version of themselves. I firmly believe the fear of failure is rapidly becoming one of the biggest ingenuity, entrepreneur, or inventor destructor emotional movements of today. It happens in very big ways for many people each day, but it is most often very simple movements each day be it a plethora of “safe” decisions made each day to not do something, or do something less risky vs a decision to take a bigger risk. As societies evolve, risk mitigation increases linearly along with daily comfort. In 1930, daily comfort was never really achieved as most people were fending just to put food on the table and survive while daily risks were taken to do so. Today, putting food on the table is almost a given without any risk taken to do so, it is even expected if having no desire to pay for it. Today, comfort is the bain of most people’s existence, and fear of failure has become a norm. We all have fear, fear of failing a test since our education produces test takers rather than pathfinders. Fear of losing a game since most of us as parents have placed the bain of kid’s existence around a ball of some sort. Fear of hurting someone's feelings with the truth, so there have almost become no truths. Fear of failing at work because leadership may punish you for stepping out on a limb and “getting it wrong”. Fear of failure because we can’t seem to do anything right for our spouse. Fear of failure because our parents expect perfection and have helicoptered in for every situation. Regardless of the fear, we can’t be controlled by fear. It can’t be the basis to control our lives. The difficult part is, we can’t escape fear which isn’t bad. But, ultimately we must lean into God for the strength to handle our fear. God tells us to not fear, which he doesn’t mean to not feel the fear, he is just asking us to not fly away from the fear or to avoid the fear. Your enemies, your demons, your vices want you to fly away, they want to control you. But with God, they can not as he gives us a spirit and soul to not be afraid. We must train our brain to do several things each and every day, and not just in our times of fear. We must train our minds to do these three things daily – 1. Have peace instead of fear. 2. Celebrate God and good all day every day while having God at the forefront of your mind. 3. Do not be anxious but go to him in prayer, with thanks and your requests. Pray instead of worrying. If you become consumed by worry, just begin to pray wherever you may be. 4. Be gentle and kind and on other people’s sides. Free your begrudging soul and do not hold grudges by working with them, not against them. Just be for them. On this last Saturday, my family had some mild fear put into us by water beginning to come into our basement. The fear of what is next, how much is going to come in. And on the previous Sunday, I would have paid anyone on the planet a tornado was going to drop right out of the spinning clouds virtually above our house and demolish our home. And in both instances, I prayed like a madman and took action. I didn’t stand there paralyzed with fear and indecision, but took action and prayed in the action. Who knows why the outcomes came about how they did, but they seem to be working for us and not against us! But rather than wait for potential disaster to pray to God and take action, let’s do it every day! You can feel your fear, but don’t let it control you, don’t fly away. God wants you to face it head on and take action. And as my good friend Doug Ford taught me, “The Lord said, If I’m for you, who could be against you?” Romans 8:11.