OVERCOMING FEAR OF FAILURE: RIDE THE WAVES TO SUCCESS

Let’s talk about something which may be keeping you from riding the biggest waves of your life : fear of failure.

Let me give you an example that I see many times here in Cornwall. I spot someone standing at the edge of the water looking out to sea, watching the experienced surfers do their thing. Their heart is pounding, palms sweaty, and the little voice in their head keeps repeating “what if I wipe out?” This my friend, this is fear of failure, and this, this is completely normal.

Whether this be with surfing, starting a new job, getting back on the dating scene, moving house, relocating to a new city, it’s just fear, and it’s based on your imagination, on situations which haven’t actually happened. When I decided to become a Padi scuba diver in my 30’s, the fear was real, and I was petrified! I had played out my fear of drowning in my head so many times, and every scenario became a ‘what if’.

What if I ran out of air, what if my regulator stopped working, what if I got attacked by a shark or stung by a stingray, you catch my drift right? Well long story short, I took to diving like a duck to water, I discovered the most beautiful underwater world, and I qualified as as advanced diver with the biggest smile on my face.

Think of fear of failure being like a jellyfish - it only stings if you let it. Surf legends didn’t become pros by sitting it out on shore. These surfers wiped out many times, and each time, they took a lesson from it, and then got back out there. What if I told you that failure is a natural part of success and that you couldn’t achieve success without some small fails along the way? Look at them all as lessons, nothing more, nothing less.

So, next time you are hesitating, remember this : the best experiences in life will come from taking a leap of faith. Whether you are catching a wave or chasing a dream, do not let fear of failure hold you back! Embrace the lessons, laugh them off, learn from them, and just keep paddling.

Now… get out there and make some waves!

With gratitude,

Natalia x