How great is your fear of failure?
Fear of failure is one of the most common types of fears. It is deeply connected with the thoughts in your head about you and how others see you. Fear of failure is responsible for so many limitations in a person’s life. It may be the greatest obstacle for you in almost every area of your life.
It is deeply connected with the ego. Transcending the ego can help you to overcome this habit. We have been conditioned by our society to attach the image of success and failure. Everyone I meet sees him or herself either as a success or a failure. In reality, both are nothing more than a concept in the head.
In reality, you cannot fail, you might create the opposite of what you desire – which most people perceive as failure – but you cannot fail. Failure and success both are perceptions of the human mind. They are only labels. The human mind loves to attach labels to everything.
Let me ask you, what do you perceive to be a success or a failure?
There will be seven billion answers to this question, varying accordingly from person to person. You cannot know about your best course.
For many people, their failure was their biggest success. Their failures helped them become the person they always wanted to be. On the other hand, there are many people who perceived themselves to be successful at one point, only realizing that this is not what they wanted.
So before taking action on the physical level in your life, always be careful. Don’t make hasty decisions. Everything happens for the greater good.
To illustrate my point here, I will use an ancient Chinese story.
There was a farmer; he had only one horse, and one day the horse ran away. The neighbors came to condole over his terrible loss. The farmer said, “What makes you think it is so terrible?”
A month later, the horse came home – this time bringing with her two beautiful wild horses. The neighbors became excited at the farmer’s good fortune. Such lovely strong horses! The farmer said, “What makes you think this is good fortune?”
The farmer’s son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg. All the neighbors were very distressed. Such bad luck! The farmer said, “What makes you think it is bad?”
A war came, and every able-bodied man was conscripted and sent into battle. Only the farmer’s son, because he had a broken leg, remained. The neighbors congratulated the farmer. “What makes you think this is good?” said the farmer.
So always be conscious; what you are calling failure can be your greatest friend and what you are recognizing as a success can become your greatest hindrance.
In reality you should not be afraid of anything, be it success or failure. The more you will understand the nature of reality, the wiser you will become. Don’t run from failure, this is a wonderful asset. It can help you to become a person you have always wanted to become. There are so many hidden jewels present inside it, if you look into it carefully.
It’s important to know where to find the solutions that are readily available to us once we open and allow ourselves to receive them. In actuality, life is a gift and we can’t waste it, we must learn how to value it no matter in which form it appears. There is still a lot to understand and to examine.
About the author: Dr. Saad Saeed is a certified professional member of the American Counseling Association, has a Ph.D. in metaphysics (USA) Board certified form The American Alternative Medical Association and is the author and founder of http://www.inspirationalhappiness.com/. He is also working as a researcher at the University of Oxford Research Department.