Procrastination Rehab: A Guide to Overcoming Fear of Failure

I recently asked in ​Instagram​ stories which topics you’d like to discuss more, and over 50% of you expressed a strong interest in discussing ‘Procrastination’.

So, here we go! It’s an enormous and fascinating topic, so we’ll take the time to break it down from different angles.

In my last Blog Article, ‘Befriending Procrastination’, I talked about what procrastination is, why it tends to occur, and, most importantly, how we can develop a friendly relationship with it.

Today, we dive deeper into one of the main causes of procrastination and a long-time acquaintance of mine, Fear of Failure.

Fear of Failure

I recently published on my social media the recording of me in a coaching conversation EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO. 🫣

>>> Watch the video here 📺

This video never stops giving me goosebumps. I was terrified of leaving the corporate world to start my own business.

The challenges ahead seemed enormous – all those new things to learn, taking a much bigger space, bureaucracy, impostor syndrome.. and these were only a few of the thoughts holding me back! 🫥

Watching this video, I can still feel the fear gripping me. Tense throat, heavy chest, quick and shallow breathing, tingling hands.

I would like to hug Maria of the past and tell her, ‘It’s okay to feel this way, it’s hard.’ 💪

Yet, you know what would have been even harder? Playing small, staying in my comfort zone as a corporate coach, and not living true to myself. ✨

After this coaching session, It took me six more months, but I finally made a decision, I stopped looking for corporate jobs, hired a coach (yep, the first step was recognizing that I needed help!) and took action.

Today, I am grateful I did.

If you’re experiencing fear of failure right now, please know that it’s completely normal. It’s just your nervous system doing its job to keep you safe. Our brains are wired to prioritize safety over happiness. 🧠

But here’s the thing:

Are we willing to sacrifice our full potential for the illusion of staying comfortable and safe?

To wrap up..

Fear of failure is an absolutely common human experience, but the idea that staying in our comfort zone will keep us safe from any suffering or uncertainty is just an illusion.

Recognizing that it is nothing more than a natural response can help us navigate through it with compassion and understanding, allowing us to embrace growth opportunities and learn from our experiences.

If you’re experiencing any degree of fear of failure right now, here they’re a few steps that will help to deal with it:

  • Check-in with your body: what are you experiencing right now? tension? weight? tingling? heat? can you detect any sign of fear in your system? All of it is normal, this is just how fear feels in a human body. You got this.

  • Reach out to your community: who is someone who is going through the very same thing that you are scared about? How can you create some opportunity for you to exchange with them?

  • Ask for help: recognizing we need help requires enormous self-awareness, vulnerability and strength. I know how hard it is; if you’re considering it, it’s already something to celebrate. We don’t win any special prize for ‘making it’ by ourselves; we are just delaying our success and making things harder than needed. Decide which kind of support you need, and go for it!

If you need help understanding the emotions behind your procrastination, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to jump on a free discovery call and find out if we’re a good fit and how we can work together and support you along this journey.

Thank you for reading until here.

Much love,
Maria