Our fear to fail is, for so many of us, the sole thing that stops us from becoming who we desire to be.

You’d be hard pressed to find a transformative scenario that doesn’t at first feel like a really scary thing that we can’t possibly do. I remember when I decided to start my business and begin personal coaching.

I was so drawn to the career, I felt like it was exactly what I was meant to do and I loved all of the creative elements that come with starting your own business.

To say I was scared is an enormous understatement.

It took months to finally take the leap.

I put myself through the wringer when it came to the nastiest, most self-deprecating self talk (that voice in your head). I imagined all the ways I would be judged, laughed at, and ridiculed if I failed at this. I could hear the voices and thoughts of others wondering what Brittany is thinking for even remotely believing she could run her own business. I felt small, ignorant, and stupid for thinking I could pull the whole thing off.

I’m so grateful for the personal development that I did while creating my personal development-based business (funny how that worked).

It was the biggest lesson.

When I became aware of my fears, I realized that that’s all they were. Stories that I had literally made up - that I had imagined.

Because guess what!?

No one had laughed at me, no one had said I couldn’t do it, and I hadn’t even started yet, let alone tried and ‘failed’. I had to get a grip on my thought patterns and reign them in so that I could embrace my power.

I realized that manifestation works in two ways.

1. You can focus on failing and in turn, manifest that.

OR

2. You can focus on positivity and growth, and just the same, manifest THAT.

What are you spending your time obsessing over?

Are your fear-based thoughts controlling your life and holding you back? For so many of us, the answer is yes.

One thing we can definitely celebrate in Module One is that your mind is malleable! That means that you don’t have to let your icky, toxic thoughts run the show. You can change them if you practice replacing them and you believe that those thoughts are created by you and not by reality.

The fear of failing can be rooted and influenced by many different factors.

The ones I want to highlight, the ones I believe are holding you back from boldly becoming you, are mainly seeded in this:

• Compared to everyone else, I suck.

• I’m not worthy or enough.

• The possibility of failing means that I have to be vulnerable, and I can’t allow that.

Ok, phew.

Now that we’ve got that heavy stuff out in the open, let’s try some strategies and exercises to address each facet of your fear of failing. If you’re a millennial or younger, I hate to say it, but this is in our DNA. We grew up in a time when parents were pumping our tires for no reason at all. Most of us grew up really truly thinking we were destined for greatness and could do ANYTHING. What a rude awakening when adulthood apparently requires WAY more hard work than expected in order to achieve that greatness. We’ve been nurtured by participation ribbons and so it’s no wonder we’ve crossed the line into adulthood with a bit of a shock to the system.

Nonetheless, I give you no permission to sit and wallow, because with all that being said, so many of us also grew up with amazing access to education, opportunity, and technology at our fingertips. It’s up to you to get over the fact that NO ONE is going to celebrate you for every little thing anymore. You’re just like everyone else, so get up and create something of yourself.