When it comes to work, fear is something all of us experience. Even if you are the owner of the company or a regular employee, fear can cause us to make decisions that can be risky for our goals. Fear can cripple the most experience entrepreneur, causing him or her making hasty irrational decisions.
Sometimes, we freeze in making major decisions and sometimes, we lost sleep over a strew of workplace problems. If we fail, the consequences are not just felt in the business or company, but also in our careers in general.
But, why are we so afraid of failure in our jobs? Here are the reasons why we fear it so much:
1. It is Embarrassing
When you fail at something, it is very embarrassing. You did your best but that best isn’t enough. You are afraid of people’s reactions about your failure and it causes your fear to increase further.
We see our jobs as a big part of our identity and when a coworker or your boss react negatively to your failure, you will take it as a personal attack.
2. It shows You Don’t Have the Potential
When you succeed in your given task, you validate to yourself that you have what it takes to succeed in your given position. However, if you fail, its proof that it may not be the right job for you or you don’t have the talent to succeed in the job you are in.
As a result, you fear taking on new challenges because you don’t want to fail again and prove that you don’t have the right skills to succeed in it.
3. It shows You Are becoming Irrelevant
Since the work environment and society in general often lauds those who succeed, failing to be like them is an instant trip down the social ladder.
If you fail, you will think people will leave and forget about you. They would lose the people who can help them with their tasks and they won’t even say yes if you asked them to help you.
Once everyone finds out about it, you fear that it will cause your social worth to drop and eventually become irrelevant to everyone. This typically affect older employees with wealth of experiences. No one wants to become so small until they feel insignificant to the company.
4. You are Letting Everyone Down
When you fail to do your task, you feel like you are letting your team down. You feel that people will be disappointed in you and cause them to criticise your failures and weaknesses.
Especially when you have a great workplace relationship with your team, the pressure is very real because you want to do right by your team.
5. It can mean Losses for You and the Business
The reason we fear failing is because in work, failure leads to losses in revenue and clients. If your failure leads to the business becoming less profitable, then you will lose your investment. You also spent time and effort for nothing.
It can be very scary if you are a entrepreneur, not only that you may have invested a good portion of your savings in your business but you are responsible for your staff’s financial security.
Eventually…
Failing is something we can’t avoid because it is a part of life. However, if we let our fear of failing get through us, we won’t be able to reach our goals easily. It also inspires us to take on challenges and discover more about ourselves in the process. If you are able to overcome your fear of failing, you will become a better person and there are ways to get through it.
So, if you find yourself facing a challenge, don’t immediately shy away from it in fear of failing. Try your best to fulfill your task and learn from it. If you fail, try your best to do better next time. If you win, then that’s good. Remember, don’t let fear control you because if you don’t take certain calculated risks, you never be able to know for sure, what is on the other side.
What do you fear most in your job? Come and share with us in the comments below.
How can we overcome fear? By making sure, that we are never complacent and always improving ourselves. Here are some more tips: How to Develop a Growth Mindset at Your Workplace 10 Tricks You Haven’t Tried to Boost Your Confidence At Work Why Perspective taking is Important for Career Success
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