The fear of failure and the subsequent shame or embarrassment stops many people from trying something new, like having a new experience, meeting a new person, or attempting to tackle a new challenge.
If there’s one fear that connects many people together, it’s the fear of being the worst, the slowest, the least intelligent, the least efficient. This can be helpful to some degree, pushing us to achieve great things, but it also ultimately leads to a life of comparison, where your results are only important when weighed against the results of others. It can also hold you back from many things. The fear of failure and the subsequent shame or embarrassment stops many people from trying something new, like having a new experience, meeting a new person, or attempting to tackle a new challenge.
But consider: in all this time you’re worrying about yourself and your own potential failures, how much have you considered others and their failures? Not often, right? So why do you think that others would be focussed on you, and your successes and failures, let alone judging you for them? In all likelihood, they’re probably also worried about being the slowest, or the worst at whatever they’re doing.
This isn’t just speculation either; studies have found that anywhere between 60 and 80% of conversations are made up of people talking about themselves, their perceptions, and their opinions. Plus, there is an area of the brain known as the “default area”, or the area that is used when the brain isn’t thinking about anything externally. This is the area that is active when people think about themselves. To put it another way, thinking about ourselves is our brain’s default setting! So, the odds are that, while you’re worried about being the worst at something, everyone else around you is too!
What’s the takeaway from all of this then? Well, you should put yourself out there! If you can’t manage to do it without the fear of failure, do it in spite of that fear anyway. Not only does it challenge you to grow and achieve more, but it will help others feel more comfortable, and inspire them to do the same. If you’re the slowest person on one of our hikes or adventures, go you! It’s already a great achievement to try something challenging, and the only way to go is up.
The great thing about our adventures here at TSA is that we always make sure the slowest person is never left behind or judged. That means this fear of failure or perception can be pushed to the side when you’re on a TSA hike, allowing you to give your all and make special social connections.
So be brave, overcome your fear of failure, and find an adventure from our calendar to join. You will be supported every step of the way, whether you’re a hiking extraordinaire or a complete beginner.
