Fear of failure
I would consider myself an avid reader, finding interest in an array of books either fiction or non-fiction. In my quest to not only find myself, but to also find my career, it was recommended to read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. Overall, I found the book interesting enough for me to finish reading it, however at parts extremely irrelevant to someone like, well... me.
I did find Chapter 5, in particular, not just relevant to a 17 year old fresh out of high school, but for someone who has constantly thought she might never be enough. The chapter focused on the idea of the fear of failure, something that I, myself, have certainly come across, and spent a majority of my life avoiding. Throughout high school we were always taught that the most famous people in their fields have failed immensely, over and over until they *spoiler alert* succeeded.
Kiyosaki uses this chapter to claim, "Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is a part of the process to success. People who avoid failure also avoid success" (page 201). Now to a degree, I agree. Not entirely. Like think of the first two sentences. Who is to say that all winners are not afraid to lose, while all losers are. If this was the case I don't think I would have completed high school. Being afraid of something does not necessarily stop you from succeeding. I personally believe it only hinders your mind. Fear in general, is a hindering motivator, which is getting really off topic.
While failure is a part of the process, shouldn't we consider that fear of failure another part of that same process? Spending time out to develop the fear, and then in turn being able to overcome it has more power. In fact, the overcoming of any fear or adversary is a human condition. What good is success if you didn't start with that fear? Even so, it diminishes the ability to feel a sense joy and being proud of your accomplishments.
His final sentence is this, "People who avoid failure also avoid success." I challenge this as well. You can avoid success, sure. But I really doubt the possibility to avoid failure. If you sat on your butt all day and did nothing with your life, would that not be considered a failure? Failing is inevitable, and ultimately, that's why I personally believe that being afraid of the inevitable is the most hindering trait of all. It's the same as those people afraid of change. Why would you not want to embrace change, or even failure for that matter?
At the end of the chapter, Kiyosaki mentions of a subconscious moment; "we all have tremendous potential, and we all are blessed with gifts. Yet the one thing that holds us back is some degree of self-doubt."
In my view, he hits the nail harder with that last subconscious thought. You can doubt your own capabilities and still not fear failure. And there is no doubt that everyone on the planet was born with gifts and potential. We can sit alone and blame others for their "luck" in life, or we can go out and unleash our own potential. I'm sure you've heard that before in life, where people tell you that you need to unleash your potential, yet, that isn't up to some professor or mentor to do for you.
Which leads me to my final question; what can you do to conquer that fear in failure?
In my own world, I think I just decided to charge through. You can only fail in order to go forward. I wouldn't say I was the most qualified to deal out this advice, especially as I tend to ignore the good word of my own advice on occasion. However, I always feel like through my failure, I did learn a great deal. I learnt independence and persistence.
Mackenzie