I have been learning to overcome my fear of failure by telling myself that I am not perfect and that others are not perfect either. In addition, I tell myself that I am a better person to accept and aknowledge my failures and I can even help others by being an example. Also, it relaxes others to know they are not the only one to make mistakes!

Thanks for posting this. It was exactly what I needed at the moment. I just had an interview where I felt I failed a test I should have done well with largely due to test anxiety. I walked away from the interview feeling horrible and kept thinking these words, "That job was mine to lose, and I somehow managed to lose it."

Now I am waiting to hear back from the company and realized this morning that I was feeling anxious of getting any type of response. My fears were that:
a. I wouldn't get the job.
b. They'd let me retake the test, and I'd fail it again.
c. I'd get the job, but then not be able to do the work required.

All of these possibilities seemed extremely scary until I read your post and realized that failing in any of these ways would not be the end of the world.

I thought this article was excellent. It reminds me of what I was going through during my attempt to get into nursing school. I applied the first time and was placed on the waiting list. I took some classes to raise my GPA and I ended up getting in the second time. I'm glad I reapplied because it taught me that I can achieve anything if I work hard enough for it. Ever since then, I really value perseverance and hard work.

I think everyone needs to fail sometimes because you experience more and you become stronger mentally. You learn how to overcome adversity and push yourself. Along with that, failing at something makes succeeding so much better cause you know what it's like to be at the bottom. Hard work always pays off. Even if you fail, I think you build character by working hard.

Also, I believe things are what you make them. If you constantly think about how bad things are or think about the negative aspects of something, you'll be upset. But if you look at the failure, stress, etc. as a challenge and as a learning experience, you'll be much better off.

I had a professor in graduate school that told the whole class that everyone that did the work would get a B. If you wanted an A you had to write a 300 page paper. The class went crazy--but he got away with it (it was before grad inflation). That was my first B in grad school. It was liberating! I'm sure that in the 30 years since that B I've managed to live a pretty good life. I will never forget that experience although I can't recall the class.