“Why do people fail?” is a question that crops up all too often in my mind. Too many times, when a desired outcome I am pursuing fails to materialize – despite all the hard work I put into achieving it – I ask myself this very question if only to prove to myself that it wasn’t my fault!
However, after I had quashed the irritation and anxiety that welled up within me, I realized that the main reason behind these failures was my very own belief system. Because I second guessed myself at every turn and became overly critical of every decision I made, I set myself up for failure from the very beginning.
There are three self-defeating thoughts I regularly grapple with in my battles with failure:
1. “I do not know what to do!”
When confronted with a situation I had not encountered previously, my immediate reaction was to panic! I then quickly found comfort in my ‘tried and tested’ solutions, justifying this instinctive act with the thought, “If it worked in the past, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t now.”
“What’s wrong with that . . .,” you might ask. Well, because I didn’t trust myself, I ignored other solutions that, perhaps, were more feasible, fearing I lacked the knowledge and skill to implement them effectively. I deliberately overlooked certain facts, opting instead to force my stock remedy on the issue at hand. Guess how this ended!
Skill and knowledge come with time and practice. You should never be afraid to explore the unknown. Knowledge and wisdom are acquired through experience. Skills are honed if you put your mind and heart into refining your craft daily. Do not let your fear of the unknown smother your chances of arriving at a better solution. Do your best to cover all bases with solid research. Whatever the outcome, use it as an opportunity to learn. This is the only way you can overcome your own self-doubt.
2. “I am not good enough.”
All too often in the past, whenever I came to a crossroad, I would take the more beaten path because I mistakenly perceived life to be a numbers game. There was safety in numbers, or so I thought, until I chanced upon a documentary featuring stampeding cows blindly following other cows off a cliff!
We are all unique in every respect. No matter what others may say, you ARE good enough and are capable of achieving great things if you believe it to be so. On the other hand, you WILL fail if you think you will. This is perhaps the main cause why people fail.
Be well grounded. Know who you are. Believe in yourself. Winning or being ‘good enough’ comes from within, not from mobs or naysayers.
3. “I am afraid of failure.”
I became petrified with the mere thought of failing at something in the past. As such, I would only act if the outcome were a sure thing. The problem was, recognition, wealth, and praise went to those who took risks and had the battle scars to prove it! I therefore relegated myself to a life blighted with monotony and mediocrity.
The glaring truth is you have not failed until you tried and lost. How would you value victory if you have not even tasted defeat?
Never be fearful of failure. This is yet another reason why people fail in life. If the history of our world is to be the illuminating factor, failure actually means progress! History is replete with men and women who conquered the world DESPITE experiencing failure countless times at some point in their lives.
If you encounter these same thoughts as you tackle your own daily challenges, the key to success is within you. Dig deep and muster the strength to look at yourself in a different light. You already have what it takes to become successful! All you need to do is shift gears. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote in his book The Little Prince, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
If you like to keep up with all the tips I offer on personality development, saving time, and increasing productivity, sign up for my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter! I also offer a free time management course on www.managemytimenow.com!
Great information. It’s really useful. Thanks
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!
I do believe that our own belief system has a lot to do with the stress of fearing failure.We can sometimes set ourselves up for failure or sabotage our own efforts. Your article is well written and useful advice. Thank you.
A good explation why some people fail and why some success.It is very helful to my personal development,thank you.
The site contains information about people’s failure, reasons of failure etc. They have discussed it quite easily and friendly. I think this will help many people. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing with us this great article! I like the title ‘ why people fail’, people always afraid to fail and this article answered the question so well – ‘ why people afraid to fail ‘ .. I hope to read more article about this kind of topic in future and hope I wont have to wait long for next great article!
It’s really a good article about Why do people fail? and it’s also a valuable and informative article to me.Thanks for your article.
Usually we fail because we think that we will fail. Just keep the positive thinking that we will success
very informative article….everybody should read this great article and learn something from it…
Although only 3 statements were made as regard to ‘Why People Fail’, I find these 3 statements to be very real and accurate. They are good points to ponder on. Thank you.
I think people fails because they really lack the self confidence and dont think that they can do it if they try harder and harder
I agree and like to keep up with all your tips, but i want to ask some question about “Skill and knowledge come with time and practice”. How to utilize the time and please give some tips to get the good practice? Thanks.
I agree with your opinion, but how to overcome the fear when I realize that the fear is really exist from time to time?
Mang people said that I can’t defeat the fear when they can realize that the fear is really exist, then how to overcome it? thx!
I like your article so much. I like the way you explained points by points. Well explained and thank you so much for sharing this kind of informative article. It will help many people from failing in their business.
I like your points. You explained it so well. I am sure this article will help many people from failing. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful article.
I love your blog posts and your advice.
There is no doubt that achieving success in ones life is really matter and I think it is the fear which really matter most and which we need to overcome firs, secondly we must have confidence to do anything in life.
I truly agree with the heading that the people do not know what they want and what they desire hence the failure occurs and this article provides a clear insight to the thing.
I will definitely offer more tips about how you can utilize your time more effectively in future blogs! Thank you for your continuing interest my posts. In the meantime, you may want to visit http://www.managemytimenow.com and download the free time management course I offer there. This other website I manage offers valuable insights on taking complete control of your time, overcoming procrastination, boosting productivity, and reducing stress…easily!
It’s good to know you have come to recognize your own fears and acknowledged them for what they are. The next step would be to dig deeper and better understand why they affect you so. If you can, try to isolate the root cause of your fears. Some fears are innate, i.e., fear of drowning, while others are triggered by past experiences. Rest assured, I will cover the topic of understanding and overcoming fear in future blogs!
We all possess the power to suppress fear and supplant it with courage and resolve. To overcome fear, we simply need to believe in ourselves and recognize our worth and value as a unique individual endowed with untold potential and talent.
Thank you Nic for your interest in my blogs. I just published another article entitled 6 Goal Setting Tips to Help You Be More Successful at Achieving Your Objectives. I hope to write about an article a day in the succeeding weeks. Do tell if you try them out and find them useful.
Thanks Paula! Yes, oftentimes we do belittle ourselves and unwittingly sabotage our own efforts, wittingly or unwittingly. I’m glad you liked the article!
What an outstanding job you have done. You have served many people by creating this post. Hats off to you. Thank you and looking more like these posts.
I’m still learning from you, while I’m making my way to the top as well. I absolutely liked reading all that is written on your website.Keep the posts coming. I enjoyed it!