The terms “fear” and “failure” mean two completely different things. Fear refers to an unpleasant or distressing emotion which may cause a feeling of dread while the term failure refers to a lack of success. If these terms were combined together we would pronounce it as “fear of failure” which gives us a whole new definition related to fear of criticism and fear of rejection which is exactly what I managed to successfully overcome throughout the semester. It is very often and natural that we are afraid to do or try new things, and who could blame us?We are only human, and as humans we are likely to do the obvious and remain in our own comfort zone rather than feeling anxious, afraid or even worried.
Why might this occur you ask? Simple, it’s the fear of failure, fear of the uncertainty or the unknown, something which each and every single one of us had once been a victim to, especially during these past few months when a significant chapter in our lives, known as high school, had taken complete control. During this period of time, it was the four very common words “do not give up” which managed to get me through it all.To me, failure is a mind set, kind of when you do something and expect an amazing result, but when we don’t achieve the result we expected, we automatically assume that we have failed. Looking back at my theory, I think it is absolutely silly; there is no such thing as failure, only an opportunity for improvement and to better ourselves. Beginning high school was a new opportunity and a fresh start in life; I’ve gone through multiple essays, quizzes, and tests.
Many times I felt the urge to put off a math test or two when I felt unsure about myself, I was afraid of not achieving a perfect score on something I knew deep down I would pass with flying colours, yet I still managed to let my fear of failure get the best of me. It wasn’t until later on that I realised that it is only when I take the test that I will truly know my weakness and use them as stepping stones towards success. I’ve learned that the only way to become successful is to look at our mistakes as well needed outcomes or results, not as failure.If something doesn’t get the satisfaction we expected we must first take immediate action and try new approaches until we reach one that works and gives us the positivity we were looking for otherwise we’d never move forward in life. We must also never be hard on ourselves; instead we should be looking at our personal experience as an advantage to learn something new while keeping an open mind.
If I were to sum up everything that was said in this speech using just one phrase, it would be “never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game”.
