Overcoming The Fear of Failure

Imagine having the opportunity to make a winning play call or the player that get's the chance to make the game-winning shot in the state championship game.

The buzzer sounds and everyone in the crowd begins to cheer. Has that ever been you?

For a lot of players and coaches this never becomes a reality. Sometimes this is due to the lack of knowledge or skills but most of the time these situations remain a dream because people are afraid to fail. 

Fear is the number one reason why people never reach their full potential. It's also the reason why people regret never taking a chance on themselves. For coaches and players it's easier to follow suit and never take a risk because when things go wrong people don't want to be blamed. It's a natural human behavior.

However. those that can over come their fear of failure will achieve greatness, or at least give themselves the chance which is more than most can say.

STEP 1:

The first step in overcoming your fear of failure is to address mentally what you're actually scared of. Understanding what makes a coach or player freeze up in a trying situation is key when overcoming this fear. Everybody has different fears which affect them in different ways. Diagnosing what yours is and the situation it lives within is a major first step.

STEP 2:

After figuring out what your fears are, the next step is to understand all the possible outcomes of the situation you're in. Part of the reason people don't take risks is because of the negative outcomes that could potentially happen. No one ever wants to let others down or feel like they failed. Unfortunately, coaches and players often focus on this rather then the opposite outcome which is success, excitement, and the most unbelievable feeling of achievement! 

When you understand that there is only two major outcomes, it truly provides prospective. Never taking a risk on yourself or getting out of your comfort zone usually nets no personal growth and often times leads to a lack of self gratification. Never knowing how much an outcome could have positively AFFECTED your life because you didn't take the risk is the most FRUSTRATING feeling in the world.

The greatest satisfaction you will ever RECEIVE as a coach or player is taking a risk on yourself and things turning out as you had expected or hoped.

Remember, if you've put in the time the results will come only if you give yourself that chance. believe in yourself because if you don't no one else ever will.

*Photo by Tyler Lastovich from Pexels*