I’m currently working on Book No. 5 in the Sports for the Soul series. It’s a book that deals with the inner battle against fear that we all must deal with on a daily basis.
Researching this book has brought me to many different perspectives on how best to deal with the fear that holds us back from the lives we desire to live. One particularly powerful perspective comes from Jocko Willink.
Jocko is a retired Navy SEAL and a bestselling author. Aside from his avid participation in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (he’s a black belt), Jocko isn’t a well-known sports figure (like most of the people written about on this blog). However, his lessons carry over seamlessly into the world of sports. In fact, they can be applied to all areas of life.
Based on his years of combat experience as a Navy SEAL, Willink has a unique perspective on how to deal with fears. His view on what a person should be afraid of is a powerful lesson that we all need to be listening to…
Fear of failure is good.
Fear of failure will keep you up at night, planning, rehearsing, going over contingencies. Fear of failure will keep you training hard. Fear of failure will stop you from cutting corners.
Fear of failure will keep you working, thinking, striving, and relentlessly trying to be more prepared for battle.
So I want you to be afraid of failing. I fear failing.
But more important, I want you to be horrified—terrified—of sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing.
That is what I want you to be afraid of: Waking up in six days or six weeks or six years or SIXTY YEARS and being no closer to your goal…You have made NO PROGRESS.
That is the horror. That is the nightmare. That is what you really need to be afraid of: Being stagnant.
So…GET UP AND GO.
Take the risk, take the gamble, take the first step. Take action.
And don’t let another day slip by.
— Jocko Willink, from his book Discipline Equals Freedom
Fear of failure is a natural and productive response to a difficult task that lies ahead. Recognizing that a certain goal will be difficult to achieve naturally makes us fear failing at it and productively makes us put in the work to prepare for it.
However, Jocko Willink points out that while the fear of failure can be a good thing, you don’t want to let it go so far that it paralyzes you and prevents you from taking action towards your goal.
You can’t let the fear of failing overwhelm you to the point that you procrastinate or give up on a worthwhile goal.
Most worthy goals will be difficult. Most will require hard work, preparation, and sacrifice. And yes, there will be times when no matter how hard you work, how much you prepared, and how many sacrifices you made; you still fail to win the game, land the sale, or achieve the goal.
But that’s what makes you better.
Every failure is a learning experience. You learn from the failure, adjust your game plan, and go after it again—this time stronger, wiser, and better prepared.
That’s how winning is achieved. That’s how big dreams become reality.
With the right attitude, each and every failure will bring you one step closer to victory. This is what it means to FAIL FORWARD.
Learn from failure and move forward quickly.
Failure is a part of life. And while the fear of failure is a productive emotion, the worst thing you can do is let that fear of failure get so big that you never try in the first place.
The best way to handle the fears that stand between you and your goals is to attack them head-on.
