Fear of failure holding you back?
TL;DR
Read to the end for your free journal prompts
Is failure holding you back right now?
Is your attention to whether or not you have failed (or might fail) distracting you from getting on with what you actually want and need to do?
Have you considered the role failure plays in your life, and whether that role is what you would choose, if you could choose?
I offer that you can choose the role that failure has in your life
Firstly, I believe that failure is not ‘real’, in any tangible sense. In my academic circles, we call this a ‘construct’, which means it is only as real as the meaning attached to it. As an example, think of time, or race, or words, or money - all of these are constructs made ‘real’ only by the meaning society attaches to them.
From a coaching perspective, there is no failure, only feedback. That is, all results and behaviours are achievements, regardless of whether the outcomes are desired for a given task or context.
Think of creative endeavours. In my own painting practice, every move I make on a substrate is a signpost to get me closer to what feels great. Unless I make my next mark, I will never get closer to the creation I love.
If I get too stuck on making the ‘right’ mark, I can lose my flow and my creativity gets put back into its box - the opposite of what an artist wants to happen!
What’s more, the mark that went awry often ends up being a beautiful texture or history in the painting in a way that perfection would never have allowed. (And yes, this is a metaphor for life).
Iterate and lower the stakes
A similar mindset is evident in innovation-driven companies, where failure is part of the iterative process.
Failure provides crucial learnings that, when applied, become wisdom.
Rather than developing a complete and entire product, rapid movement involving testing and learning is critical to have the leading edge of learning faster than anyone else (aka failing fast).
Action allows narrowing down and removing what doesn’t work.
I’m inspired by artist William Kentrdige who invests in the ‘less good idea’. What freedom there is in searching for the less good idea!
Come to the studio/office/etc with an attractive idea - it doesn’t really matter what idea - and begin execution by thinking through your materials to find the less good idea.
It is in the search for the ‘less good idea’ where the unexpected is found!
In other words, action with play and experimentation is important.
(For 20 minutes of inspiration, listen to William Kentridge talk about compassion in Art in the Twenty-First Century - you won’t regret it).
Freedom to go nowhere = freedom to take necessary risks
This freedom in practice is a form of free association. As one of my favourite authors, Stephen Nachmanovitch, writes, free association is the freedom to make an ass of yourself.
To create means you might make an ass of yourself multiple times a day and that your improvisation might go nowhere.
Expanding our creative selves involves risks.
We can be so used to worrying or feeling like we’re not allowed to do something we love, or that we’re not good enough, that we don’t allow ourselves to make mistakes.
In my view, to live fully and creatively requires coming to terms with the reality that what we think is failure, is actually just information.
Such information is a gift to make the most of our short time on this earth, aligned with who we truly are.
Journal/action prompts
Recall a recent setback and how you reacted. What lessons did you learn and how might you apply them moving forward?
Think of a past challenge and how you overcame it. How could viewing failure as feedback in this situation enhance your resilience?
Think of a current project. Are you hesitant to take risks? Explore how seeing failure as feedback could encourage you to pursue innovation. What is one action you can take now, informed by this insight?
Did this topic resonate with you? Please comment below and let me know what you thought.
I am committed to honouring the wellbeing, creativity and joy of every person, as the ultimate form of justice and health-for-all. If I can help you or your team with this journey please reach out by contacting me here. Learn more about my coaching services here.
