Start loving your steps, talent, actions and your dream

Start loving your steps, talent, actions and your dream  - you will be free from the fear of failure. Dr V V Rao

If you really want to know how to live, associate with children.

If you have none of your own, borrow some.

In Indian families we give preference to girls to marry them even though we are elder as a ritual to sacrifice our yesteryear for their future years. In our family also we did the same and we found a groom who can be the best for my sister ‘Lakshmi’. When my sister gave birth to her first child a baby-boy we nicknamed him ‘Resh’ whereas his actual name is Suresh. I am always afraid of touching small babies thinking that they were so very tiny and I may probably hurt them with my rough touch.

Now I know that they are not as delicate, if handled correctly. I found great pleasure in tossing ‘Resh’ up in the air so far that I could catch him, and he always seemed to enjoy the act. As I threw him up, he would laugh, take a deep breath, and then came down, snuggle into my arms and laugh like a giggling squeezed breeze, and in fact wait in anticipation of the next throw till I got tired. At times I used to feel it was like a big workout to bring back my rhythmic heart to a controlled beat.

I was amazed with the fact that he apparently had no fear, nor my sister any fear in her mind and heart and thus never stopped me from doing that. I think it was because she instinctively knew that I loved him; therefore she trusted me. Start loving your steps, talent, actions and your dream - you will be free from the fear of failure.

Have you ever been afraid of failing at something that you decided not to even give it a try? Or has a fear of failure meant that, subconsciously, you are undermining your own efforts to avoid the possibility of a larger failure?

All of us have experienced this at one time or many times in our lives. The fear of failing can be immobilizing – it can result in our doing nothing, and thereby resist moving forward.

Each one has a different description of what stoppage is, simply because we all have different benchmarks, values, and belief systems. A failure to one person might simply be a great learning experience for someone else.

For example, say that several years ago you gave an important report to CEO of a large group of companies, and you did very poorly. The experience might have been so terrible that you carried that fear of failure to other aspects of your life and thinking. And you carry that fear even now.

Every one of us prepares to prevent failures, for that we need to read a lot, we must listen to mentors and preachers, we study the core competent subjects in depth and we interact with people who are successful in their life so that we can reduce the fear factor.

Most of us will stumble and fall in life. Doors will get slammed on our faces, and we might make some bad decisions. But imagine if Tiger Woods had given up on his dream to play golf when he was going through difficult times in his personal life.

Start by setting a few small goals. These should be goals that are slightly, but not overwhelmingly, challenging. Think of these goals as ‘early wins’ that are designed to help boost your confidence.

For example, if you have been too afraid to talk to the new department head (who has the power to give you the promotion you want), then make that your first goal. Plan to stop by his/her office during the next week to introduce your-self.

Or 

Imagine that you have dreamed of returning to school to get your MBA, but you are convinced that you are not smart enough to be accepted into business school. Set a goal to talk with a school counselor or admissions officer to see what is required for admission.

Start loving your steps, talent, actions and your dream - you will be free from the fear of failure.