How to get past your fear of failure

How would you describe your relationship with risk? Are you at home with the possibility of things not going 100 percent exactly as planned, or do you clam up at the mere thought of missing the mark? Fear of failure is the number-one reason people shy away from taking risks. This attitude can add up to a great deal of missed opportunities in business, regardless of the size or scope of your enterprise. Marketing is one particular area where some tend to feel timid about trying something bold. Consider these three simple ways to alleviate your fear and kick your marketing into high gear:

1. Embrace your mistakes. Learn to see failure as a necessary part of refining and retooling strategies. Stop beating yourself up when a project turns out to be a flop. It happens to all of us and maybe it was your turn to experience a taste of humble pie. The most optimistic and successful people don’t see failure as the be-all and end-all. Instead, they view it as an opportunity for learning about weaknesses, so they can reset and then hit it out of the park.
2. Don’t overthink it. An easy but impactful fix may be directly in front of our eyes, and sometimes that means it can be too obvious. Or, we may over-analyze a marketing strategy, and get caught up in the wrong things. If you are feeling stuck, give yourself some distance and revisit the project when your eyes are fresh.
3. Ask for help. Some people associate asking for assistance with weakness. Yet we need to keep in mind that asking for help makes others feel valued because you are trusting in their abilities. In short, make someone else feel good about helping you. That can be a means to realizing your marketing goals.

Remember, the person in the mirror might be the only thing standing between you and your business’ success!