The Fear of Failure..

Yes at the beginning I was really scared to invest some money because I was scared to lose it all.

It took me over a year to actually do something with my online business.

Nice post though.

I'm not scared, I'm just lazy.

the thought that a project wont work and i'll just waste time and money is always there...I just don't give a shit about it..because fear doesn't move forward..

yea when I first got started, I was even scared of spending $50 for internet marketing business. It's just so much uncertainty behind it

Its a shitty cycle for many. I've done it before. The best way I've beat it when it comes to online stuff is to just throw stuff out there. Screw all the planning and prettiness. Just do it and then update/tweak/fix as you go. I know I'll do it over and over still.

But know this...

You aint' alone friends!

Many times it's what separates the Winners from the Losers.

Sooner or later you really have to adopt the Mentality that Failure is just part of the Overall Equation.

In fact , Failure is good because you learn what to and and what not to do.

Making you that much stronger, smarter, and more efficient in the long run


- Robert Andrew

this is very true,,

i found this to be a great way to approach not only IM but also language learning, bjj and cooking..


instead of just learning a ton of stuff, set out to complete a task.

example:

build a squeeze page and thank you page..


sure, you wont learn about SEO, SM marketing etc..

but you will learn about basic html, tracking, uploading files to your host etc...

and if you fail at a particular task you can easily pinpoint what to fix/improve, in turn, reinforcing the lesson.

you're essentially creating a cohesive learning package where everything is related and interconnected.

all the best,
Ike Paz

Something I learned from the late great Susan Jeffers ("Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway") is the affirmation: "Whatever happens, I'll handle it."

And, when you think back on your Life, you will realize that you have made it through the difficult times. Something else to consider that many times fear is an opportunity to be courageous. Because courage means being afraid of something and doing it anyway.

If you're 100% committed to your income goal(s)/success, eventually you will achieve them (not matter what happens) including fear.

: )
Jonathan

I have been in the IM industry for 7 years now.

I remember losing a lot of money in the beginning and being really afraid (because I was broke in those days).

The thing is that you have to use fear to help you.

I decided that if I kept at it everyday for a year, I will have a break-through and I guess I have been fortunate.

I think many of us did suffer from this at least one point in our life but the more you take action and keep on pushing forward, the more you will start to realise that failures are just a learning experience.

Chris

I think one of the biggest problems is success , I was coaching not long a go and the student got himself in a tiz because what would he do with all the extra money ( at this point he had made zip) so to me that would Fear of Success

Jason

I think everyone is scared at first and has fears... it's important people realize you have to tackle fears head on. Probably a BIGGER problem people have is "fear of success" at least that's what happened to me.

Nice advice thank you .Unfortunatelly this problem affects many people in this area .You must risk a little if you want to succed

This fear of failure thing is closely tied to the "Oh my god, what if "THEY" don't like me?" type of thinking. And why do people give two pittance about what somebody else thinks anyway?

Probably because of the opinionated "know-it-alls" that like to troll places like this. Hey, listen... the bottom line is this...

THEY ain't puttin' food on the table.

Most people including the newbies on this forum know more than enough to get even modest results online.

This business is 98% mental. When you think about it, there is no real sane reason why the opinions of people you don't know and will probably never meet should ever have the power to determine whether you'll succeed or not.

Google "story behind formula 409".

Thanks for this useful post that I will be using as a reminder. I often find myself in the mode of learning and reading rather than taking specific actions that will help me reach my goals. As aizaku points out above you also really learn by doing. Great point!

Laziness and fear - together can spoil any project at any time.

I fear more when I am not clear. Clarity brings a lot more confidence. Fear and success are opposite to each other.

Chris, Fear of Failure also has a kissing cousin called Imposter Syndrome. People with IS, no matter how experienced or accomplished, fear that the world will find out that they are frauds. Together, they make a killer tag team.

Often, the cause of both is comparing oneself to the public personae of both real successes and gooroos trying to fake it until they make it.

I've found that the best way to beat both is to shift focus from your own success or perception of competence to the value you want to deliver to the world. If you can keep your eye on making others' lives better, not always easy, FoF and IS fade into the background noise.

Ike, if you take out the word "easily", I agree with you. But sometimes the obvious reason and the root cause are not the same. You can treat leg pain with morphine, but the root cause might require setting a broken bone and spending time in a cast...

I think it's normal. You just have to get to the point where what you can possibly gain will outweigh the situation you are in now.

Then make a decision to take action. No matter what.

Most people are too comfortable. They bitch about buying a solo ad but will think nothing about going out and getting a case of beer or going to an expensive restaurant.

I used to be the same way, groping around in the dark. Once I came up with clearly defined goals then I could justify the money I was spending.

For example: "My goal is 4,000 leads by X amount of time. I will mainly use paid traffic. I will make most of it back on the front end and possibly more on the back end and reinvest my profits. Once my list is big enough I can also do ad swaps to lower my expenses and still make money."

Things don't look so scary then.

I noticed a lot of the fears listed here are spending money. I used to say "I couldn't afford it." Then it got to the point where I said "I can't afford not to."

Fear will just make you go around in circles.

Besides money, a lot of it is the fear of looking stupid. No one wants to looks stupid.

I mean, "What if they laugh at my video?" or "What if I piss someone off when I email them?" etc.

You just need to get a thicker skin and get over it. As mentioned, they're not putting food on your table.

It's like that with anything. The first few times I asked out a girl I was terrified.

But the bottom line is I didn't let it stop me.

No one is going to be an expert right out of the gate. But you can earn while you learn.

Sometimes I do, but action cures all.

I tell myself to just shut up and do it.

Yes, I had this fear when I was starting out.

I also had the fear that everything needed to perfect.

I needed to have the perfect theme I needed the perfect domain name, etc.

I know I wasted a ton of time worrying about things that were really not that important.

The best Video I saw on overcoming Fear was from Brendan mace. I make no money by sharing this video with you.