When an individual allows the fear of failure restrict their thought and ideas, it often makes them feel as if they are trapped with no way out.
From when most individuals were young, it was commonly taught that they should fear being a failure or not doing well on something. This was usually established by telling those young individuals that if they didn’t do tasks up to a certain standard, like getting very high scores on tests, assignments, and projects then they wouldn’t be able to become successful in the future. This places a large amount of fear and anxiety into the individual’s minds at a young age because it conditions them to think that if they fail at trying or learning something then they will never be able to achieve success. That often their parents and society around them tell them they should strive for which makes the individual feel more pressure. And once that kind of thinking starts to control an individual’s thoughts and ideas. It ends up making the individual feel like they are trapped because they feel like they are being held back by the fear of failing at what they are trying to succeed in. Ultimately making them feel like they are stuck in the same place without seeing any improvements.
My visual is supposed to represent how I think most individuals would feel when they let the fear of failure consume their thoughts and ideas. As shown in the drawing there is a person that is trapped inside of a box that is filling up with water. The box is supposed to represent how the individual feels like they are trapped by their own fear of failure and can’t seem to find a way out. While the water is supposed to represent how they feel like they are also being drowned by what society expects from them.
I relate to this because growing up I was constantly told by my parents that I should strive to be the best at whatever I am doing. Which led me to have a fear of failing at something. This is still the kind of thought process that I have now. Which has made it very difficult for me to want to explore my thoughts and ideas on a deeper level because I fear that if I don’t succeed at trying to do so then I will be seen as a failure, and that is usually the last thing people want to be seen as. For some people the fear of failure might push them to try harder to insure that they succeed at all costs. But for me it always made me feel like I was walking through a minefield, and if I were to take the wrong step then that would be the end of my chance to succeed. And because this thought was hard to get out of my head, at that moment I felt like it would be better if I didn’t take the risk of exploring my ideas, so I wouldn’t have to worry about potentially setting myself up for failure. But when I look back it feels like I have missed out on an opportunity that could have been a good learning experience for me simply because I let the fear of Failure control my mind and my life without even noticing.
References:
- Taylor, Dr., and Dr. Taylor. “The Real Fear In Fear Of Failure: Part III – Dr. Jim Taylor”. Dr. Jim Taylor, 2021, https://www.drjimtaylor.com/4.0/the-real-fear-in-fear-of-failure-part-iii-2/. Accessed 18 Sept 2021.
- “Overcoming Fear Of Failure: Don’T Sabotage Your Chance For Success!”. Habio.App, 2021, https://habio.app/blog/fear-of-failure. Accessed 18 Sept 2021.
- 2021, https://www.dreamstime.com/fear-failure-as-burden-weight-shoulders-symbolized-word-fear-failure-steel-ball-to-show-negative-aspect-image173792260. Accessed 18 Sept 2021.
- 2021, https://www.allbusiness.com/fear-of-failure-holding-back-business-107179-1.html. Accessed 18 Sept 2021.