3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Making Mistakes
The fear of making mistakes can paralyze us from moving forward with God's divine plan for our life. When we allow this uncertainty to dictate our forward momentum we rob ourselves and others of the benefits that come from walking in our divine calling. I hope this story and the subsequent tips will help us gain victory over the fear of making mistakes.
I recently sat down with a friend who is a dynamite interior designer. She can put a room together that elicits a feeling of comfort, elegance, and peace…yes she’s that good. She came over to help me reconfigure my hodgepodge of furniture, pictures, and decor. Over the years my style has become an eclectic collection purchased from garage sales, Facebook marketplace, and Wayfair. I like to mix it up, and I’m overbearingly frugal (that’s my husband's nice way of calling me cheap). Hence the reason for calling my friend “the expert” for help.
My friend is the founder of Haven Roese Design, Co. However, before she became a business owner and “boss lady”, she was a wife, Mama, and friend that just loved to create beautiful spaces. She came to my house several months ago and made the mistake of telling me she was THINKING about starting a business with her “interior design ninja skills.” I almost created her LLC right then and there.
The thing that struck me was her hesitancy to begin because she was afraid of doing something wrong. I asked, “What do you think you are going to get wrong?” Her response was, “All of it.”
How many of us don’t move forward with a dream, goal, or passion because we are afraid of making mistakes?
I believe that fear in all its varieties is sent straight from hell to hinder us from following the God-dream we were designed to manifest. In order to fulfill the plans and purposes God has for our lives, we must be willing to overcome our fear of making mistakes. Here are a few ways to conquer the fear of failure.
Worst Case-Scenario List
Create a list of the worst possible outcomes. Most of the time the fear of making a mistake stems from hypotheticals. When you write down your concerns you have already started the process of solving those potential issues. In the case of my friend, one of the mistakes she worried about was setting up the business from a legal perspective correctly. She wanted to “do it right.” I encouraged her to talk to her accountant and share what her goals were and what he/she would recommend with regard to company structure. I don’t know if she actually called her accountant and asked but she did set up her business a few weeks later.
Do Away with Perfectionism
I’m the daughter of a perfectionist and lived the better part of my young-adult life as a perfectionist. It wasn’t until I gave my life fully over to Jesus that I realized how far from perfect I was and gave up trying! None of us are perfect. We will never get it right all the time and wasting time, effort, energy, and resource attempting it is silly. We can strive for excellence but not at the expense of paralysis. Moving forward doing the best we can, and learning along the way, will lead to growth and success. If you have perfectionist tendencies check out “How to Get Over Perfectionism.”
Redefine Failure as Feedback
When you attempt to do something you have never done before you will make mistakes. You’ve heard the phrase, “You don’t know what you don’t know,” right? The main fear of making a mistake stems from facing the unknown. When we redefine making mistakes as feedback we can learn from those situations and chalk them up to educational expenses. The things to try and avoid are extremely costly lessons or life-altering ones. We can do this by seeking counsel and mentorship from people who have done it before. Make a habit of evaluating mistakes through the lens of education. It doesn’t take the pain or embarrassment out of making mistakes but it provides you with a way to move forward. Here are questions to help turn failure into helpful feedback.
- What happened that wasn’t great?
- Why did it happen?
- What did I learn?
- Could I prevent this from happening in the future?
- How does this help me in the future?
I’m happy to report that my friend and founder of Haven Roese Designs, Jill Diffendafer, is fully booked for several months. She is using her skills to glorify God. With her help, I’m creating an atmosphere of calm and beauty where there once was chaos and clutter. I’m so thankful she didn’t let her fear of making a mistake prevent her from moving forward. How do you overcome the fear of making a mistake? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Mucho Love,
