The youth these days are caught in a web of ‘fear of failure’; this can easily be witnessed in a placement scenario. It is natural that youngsters in their early 20s and 30s feel anxious about this crucial decision-making phase of their lives. It could be that the burden of their career decision bring plenty of unpleasant feelings and a grave sense of fear, which reflects on their performance during their placements.
The fear of failure syndrome, which is also known as ‘atychiphobia’, is a situation where a person allows fear to stop them from doing things that are necessary for them to move forward and achieve their goals in life. This fear can be a very immobilising factor and can cast a shadow of negativity on the personality of the individual.
As a personality development mentor, I have witnessed this fear of failure among candidates from the rural, semi-urban, urban and even city population. The fear factor has no reference and no bearing to geographical location. It is necessary that the candidates take steps to overcome it since fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. I would suggest the following aspects to be considered by the candidates who are prone to such a syndrome.
Fear is a matter of perspective
Some people look at fear as the ‘end of the world’ and get unnecessarily stressed out, causing physical, emotional and mental strain on themselves. For others, it is the ‘mirror of reality’ with which they evaluate themselves and take corrective measures to enhance their lives. It is impossible to go through life without experiencing fear and one must cultivate the attitude to just look at it as an experience, to accept it and reflect on it, and to see that it does provide them with an opportunity to shape themselves.
Strategies to overcome fear
Youngsters will be required to program their mind to some system by which they can overcome fear. Life is a precious gift and it is our responsibility to make our lives count by unearthing our hidden meaning and purpose. Fear of failure should never be a threat to our lives as we can succeed only when we perform. The following strategies will be very useful for young graduates to overcome fear:
Analyse all the potential outcomes – Many get worried about fear because they fear the unknown. One must learn to remove the fear by considering all possible outcomes.
Learn to think more positively — Staying focused with a positive attitude is an incredible way to build self-confidence and to face fear.
Look at the worst case scenario – A rational look at the worst case scenario will indicate that fear is just a temporary phenomenon and it will not stay for long. The individual must not let it become a permanent aspect of concern in their life.
Develop goal setting habit – A systematic goal-setting habit, which will make an individual go step by step in accomplishing life aspirations, will be of great help. An early win in a small goal will go a long way to boost the confidence of an individual so that they can accomplish more in life.
Cultivate courage in you
The best solution to overcome fear is by developing courage. The subjective feeling of fear can be overcome with a strong sense of courage, which is nothing but confidence personified. Courage can be an empowering force to face failure and brush past it by not getting yourself unduly overburdened or damaged by failure. Motivated individuals are most likely to succeed and less likely to fail.
Youngsters will have to imbibe the quality of taking on fear by attacking it with positivity, without succumbing to it. The best way to face fear is to overcome the fear of failure, which shall be a ‘hallmark quality in life’.
(Nicholas Francis is an HR mentor based in Madurai. He serves as a member of board of studies of Social Work in colleges and contributes to the professional training and development of institutes)
