Fear of Failure

Who hasn’t encountered failure at some point? Failure is a vital part of life and one of our main learning methods. We try, we fail, learn from mistakes, and aim to make better decisions moving forward. This is simply how life works. However, we tend to develop a fear of failing.

As someone who has experienced numerous failures in my relatively short life, I am not overly afraid of failure; to clarify, I am not completely immune, but failure has been the most effective way for me to learn. I recognize it would be much easier if I didn’t have to fail repeatedly just to learn how to navigate this world. Failure offers us opportunities to learn, grow, and improve our choices.

Admittedly, some failures are naturally fearsome. You wouldn’t want to get too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, or you might fall, possibly a long, long, long, very long way. It’s wise to learn from others' failures and avoid repeating their mistakes. The sign and fencing are there for a reason, because somebody else got too close. 

While many might joke about this question, I take it seriously: What’s the worst that could happen? Is the risk worth snapping a cool photo of the canyon from the rim? The consequences might be very high… But read the signs; they are there for a reason.

At the same time, we are not excused from taking reasonable risks, striving to grow and change, or putting ourselves out there. We learn from others' mistakes. We learn from our own past mistakes. But we do not sit still and do nothing because we are afraid we may fail again, because I can tell you with certainty you will, we will. But that is what faith is: taking the step onto the water knowing we might sink, but also knowing that we are not alone if we do. Why do you doubt? That is what I love most about this gospel story: Peter did not have fear until he looked down, when he took his eyes off of Jesus.