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Fear
of Failure
Everyone
has a certain fear from which they cannot escape, even when they
become adults. My fear is not of an object or scary animal, but
of failure. The clinical term of this fear is atychiphobia.
All of my life I have been very afraid of not being able to accomplish
different tasks I have been faced with.
Whether
it is a task as small as meeting someone on time or as important
as a final exam, I tend to stress out and work twice as hard
to make sure that my worst fear does not become my reality.
Everytime
I have a paper assigned, I worry about if my writing is at the quality
it should be. Every test I take I am positive that I have not prepared
fully, therefore I tend to overcompensate and study information that
I do not need to know so I will not fail. This has actually hurt me
in some instances because I have studied material that really was not
important and I did not focus on the basics.
I
not only worry about accomplishing things, but also winning the
approval of others.
My
fear is fairly common. Many people feel the same way and strive
to avoid failure in their everyday lives. Many organizations utilize
this fear in people to motivate them to get the job done. For example,
the Army is known for using fear tactics during basic training to make
thier soldiers strong and productive.
Organized
religion also has a tendency to rely on their members' fear of
failure for their existence. People attend church to avoid going
to hell. This, in their eyes, would be failure.
Personally,
I do not know the exact reason why I constantly have this fear. I think
it might have something to do with the fact that I was always an overacheiver
growing up. When I became older, and school and the world in general
became more complicated, I was pressured by my parents to maintain the
same academic standards I had earned for so many years.
Because
of my parents' expectations, the standard of perfection was literally
drilled into my brain.In the big picture, I think my fear motivates
me in a way. It makes me work harder to accomplish my goals.
I
am only currently a freshman in college but this fear ultimately
is a driving force toward my eventual graduation. While this
fear has caused stress throughout my life, it has proven to be
helpful. It helps me to stay focused and remember that I came
to Ohio University primarily to learn, not just to party!
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For more
information on the army go to goarmy.com
Here are
some tips for avoiding the Fear of Failure:
* Be willing
to get out of your comfort zone and know if you want to succeed,
it's going to be uncomfortable.
*If you're
lacking certain skills, this can wear on your confidence. Acquire
the skills you feel you're lacking by attending workshops to
sharpen your skills and boost your confidence.
*Ask those
you trust for encouragement. Positive feedback can give you the
confidence to move ahead.
*Seek out
a mentor who shares in your vision of where you want to be.
Tips courtesy
of: thesandiegochannel.com
You can email me at: ap296101@ohio.edu
or
Visit my website!
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