Fear of Failure

It is human nature to fear failure, and there is more than one reason behind this. Although many people may accept in theory that failure is a necessary component of all learning and growth, in practice, people often struggle greatly with failing. Fear of failure is basically a fear of shame, and it looks different for everyone. Some people experience feelings of avoidance, anxiety, helplessness, and loss of control. One may underestimate one’s own abilities to avoid feeling disappointed or even tell people that one will probably fail to manage expectations. The issue of fear of failure was highlighted last weekend by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar when, during the course of his convocation speech at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, he called upon the students to never have tension, never have stress, and never fear failure. Failure, he said, is just a further step to success. The Vice President also pointed out that if one puts one’s entire mind into a parking place due to the fear of failure, one is doing injustice not only to oneself but also to humanity. Though dictionaries define failure as “lack of success,”  it has been proven umpteen times that lack of success is nothing but a temporary phase. This has been best explained by Thomas Edison. Looking back to the numerous failures that he had met with during his experiments leading to the invention of the first incandescent light bulb, Edison had said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Then, there is also this saying that very few people know how to fail well. Intellectually, people may know that a person needs a growth mindset in order to develop, and yet failure remains an experience that is often associated with shame and embarrassment. The biggest culprit is the mindset of society. Failure can often be socially stigmatized. Most people fear failure not for the mere fear of failure but for the fear of looking foolish and not meeting expectations. In this context, it is also important to note how former President APJ Abdul Kalam defined failure. His explanation was that one should never give up if one fails, because the four letters ‘FAIL’, according to him, mean ‘First Attempt In Learning’.