Exercise 5: The Roots of Fear To conquer our fear of failure, we need to first discover it's roots. In your journal, start with "Expectations". Go back to your childhood, and write the expectations that you were given to live up to. Were they realistic for any given time in your life? Was more demanded of you than you could reasonably be expected to do? When you couldn't meet those expectations, what were the consequences? Were you punished? Made fun of? Continue these expectations through the present time. Make an honest list of your "failures" in life. Were your attempts something you wanted to do, or something someone else wanted from you? Was it a true "failure"? Was it something you didn't want in the first place? Why didn't it work? Was it because of circumstances you couldn't control? If it was important to you, did you try again? Now make a list of those things you've always wanted to do, but did not because you were afraid to fail. Don't you think you owe it to yourself to try? You can always stop, you know — but at least you tried. Re-Creating You Main Page Innerspace Main Page Modifications and Maintenance by Wicked Imaging E-Mail to Julia
Make an honest list of your "failures" in life. Were your attempts something you wanted to do, or something someone else wanted from you? Was it a true "failure"? Was it something you didn't want in the first place? Why didn't it work? Was it because of circumstances you couldn't control? If it was important to you, did you try again?
Now make a list of those things you've always wanted to do, but did not because you were afraid to fail. Don't you think you owe it to yourself to try? You can always stop, you know — but at least you tried.
Re-Creating You Main Page