It’s been my experience that not everyone is afraid of failure. A good many people find themselves at the other end of the spectrum…they are terrified of success.
It’s not that they don’t crave a positive and rewarding experience. It’s just that they’ve become more familiar with the emotions associated with failing to achieve; missing the target; losing rather than winning. It’s easier for them to cope with disappointment than it is to face the prospect of attainment. And that’s as sad as it is troublesome.
Those who fear success are less likely to move outside their comfort zone and try something different. They are risk averse. They limit their own potential. It’s unlikely they will ever become the best possible version of themselves. And that’s a waste.
The reality is that on the pathway to success we will experience failure. We all know the feelings associated with wanting and working for something and falling short. We all have our own ways of dealing with the catastrophes and disasters we will inevitably experience. Fewer people, however, are suitably prepared and equipped for success. The prospect worries them. Their way of coming to terms with that perceived and accepted lack of depth is simply not to try.
But the fact of the matter is that failure is not defeat. Disappointment builds resolve. Resolve results in determination. Determination is a vital pre-determinate of success. But only if we allow and encourage it.
Just as we have the capacity and the responsibility to makes choices in our lives, we also have the potential to right the wrongs of our own making…to bounce back from failure and try again.
Every day brings with it the promise of a fresh chance…another opportunity. To disregard that promise is to accept the mediocrity of ignored potential…and there’s no bliss in that kind of ignorance.
Gary Bentley Counselling 