You’ve felt that little twinge of fear at some point, right? We're here to remind you that even the most successful people feel it too, so you’re definitely not alone!

Fear of failure stops more progress than almost any external obstacle, and it often disguises itself as procrastination, perfectionism, or avoidance.

In this episode, #1195, George and Mary-Lynn explore why fear of failure shows up, how it operates beneath the surface, and what to do when it keeps you stuck.

You’ll learn the difference between fixed and growth mindsets, why confidence comes after action, and five practical steps to break the fear cycle.

BIGG Takeaways:

1. Fear of failure is a common struggle that even the most successful people experience, so you're not alone.
2. A growth mindset can transform your approach to challenges and help you see failures as learning opportunities.
3. By taking small, actionable steps, you can build confidence and break the cycle of fear and procrastination.
4. Tracking what you learn from both successes and failures can lead to faster growth and stronger confidence.

BIGG Chapters

[00:13] Confronting Fear of Failure

[03:08] Understanding Mindsets: Fixed vs Growth

[04:35] Breaking the Fear Cycle

[07:59] Overcoming Fear and Building Confidence

[10:14] Transitioning from Fear to Action

Links referenced in this episode:

1. Life Map Course
2. Follow our podcast
3. Join our newsletter

On this episode of the BIGG Success Show, is fear holding you back?

BIGG Success with The Professor and Mary-Lynn.

Let's face it, if you're breathing, you occasionally feel at least a little bitty hint of a fear of failure. And oh my gosh, Mary-Lynn, I'm feeling it.

Right now?

Right now. Feeling fear of failure.

About this podcast?

Yes, I guess so. And just this whole topic of fear of failure.

I realized as we were doing this that I have at, times in my life, I was demonstrating my fear of failure because I just wouldn't try something. Here's the good news though. Even the most successful people you know or know of occasionally feel afraid of failure. So you're in good company.

It shows up as procrastination, perfectionism, overthinking. I've never been accused of doing that, have I? And outright avoidance.

It's a common feeling and even a survival mechanism as your brain is trying to protect you from pain.

Welcome to the BIGG Success Show where we help you create the life you want. Hi, I'm Mary-Lynn.

And I'm George The Professor. Fear of failure keeps more people stuck than almost any other internal struggle. It's not just a common feeling.

It's a mindset that stops capable, driven people from from exploring their full potential. Whether you're aspiring to start a business, change careers, or simply pursue your BIGG dreams.

And that's BIGG with two Gs.

That's right. Fear of failure can quietly sabotage your progress.

In this episode, we're going to explore why fear of failure shows up, how it operates inside your mind and behavior, and share some action steps on how to move through it. Now, before we get into our main points let's answer the question, what exactly is fear of failure?

Well, it's more than just not wanting to fail. It's an anxiety or avoidance response that shows up whenever there's a risk of not meeting expectations. So there's the key.

It's about not meeting expectations. It's about not meeting expectations that we may place on ourselves from other people.

And that we place on ourselves.

Absolutely right. And it's a paralysis that sets in when you worry that you'll be embarrassed, look incompetent, or even foolish. Fortunately, I never look foolish.

You're always on Professor!

Yeah, there you go.

But it's easy to see how this fear of failure can hold you back if so much of our self worth is tied up into not feeling or appearing to fail.

Right you are, Mary-Lynn. But then you won't put yourself in situations where you might fail.

Which doesn't give you the chance to make mistakes, learn from them, and grow, which is what life is all about.

That's right, yeah. You miss out on everything if you just kind of stay in the corner and say, well, I'm just not going to take any chances because, you know, what if.

But you know what? Plenty of people do. And I've been guilty of doing it, too, and I didn't mean to rhyme.

Well, beyond worrying about disappointing yourself or others, why do we fear failure?

Well, we humans hold one of two core mindsets, a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. This comes from the Growth Mindset Theory developed by Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University.

And with a fixed mindset, a person believes their abilities are unchangeable, so they avoid challenges.

They fear failure because failure feels like they're not good enough.

The second type is a growth mindset. And people of this type believe that their abilities develop over time and effort.

They see challenges as opportunities. Failure then becomes information you can use to improve your life.

This one shift in mindset from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, from challenges to opportunities, leads to major change for the better.

And without a growth mindset, you can get stuck in a frustrating, fixed mindset fear loop. It goes something like this. You imagine a risk or challenge. You think about all the what if disasters that could happen.

Your brain protects you by saying, don't start. Don't start. Don't start.

That's what your brain sounds like?

Yeah, that's what my brain sounds like. Actually, it sounds like this [silence]

That's funny.

Only on a bad day.

All right, so don't start. Don't start. That's the other people's brains, right?

So you delay or avoid the task, and you feel stuck, frustrated, or even guilty.

So here are five action steps to break the fear cycle. Action step number one, Reframe failure. Instead of thinking, what if I mess this up and look bad?

Ask yourself, what would I learn if this didn't go perfectly?

You see, you're not trying to become fearless. You're trying to become fear competent.

Oh, I like that. Yeah, that's a good one, Professor.

Well, thank you. It means you learn to act despite feeling scared. Now, that's real courage.

Yes!

And remember, failure is feedback. If a plan doesn't work, it tells you something important about what to adjust next.

Action step number two. Start small with micro wins. Now, BIGG goals. That's BIGG. With two Gs. BIGG goals, they feel scary.

Because they feel BIGG, they're supposed to Be BIGG, right? So make them smaller.

Instead of I'm going to build the whole business by Monday, which actually we don't recommend goals that BIGG, but try this instead. I'm going to write one paragraph of my first draft of my business plan.

You see, why you do this is because small wins. Build confidence fast. Now here's a trick. Set two minute tasks to overcome procrastination. Just plan to work for two minutes.

I can work for two minutes? Sure, yeah, two minutes. Once you're in motion, momotum, I mean momentum, usually follows this simple habit flips fear into forward motion.

Action step number three, use "Yet" to reframe your thoughts.

When you catch yourself thinking, I can't do this, add one word, I can't do this...Yet. That tiny shift flips from fixed thinking to growth thinking. Opening your mind to learning instead of fearing defeat.

Action step number four to break the fear cycle, track what you learn. An easy way to do that is to create a simple reflection habit.

So after every effort, whether it succeeds or fails, ask yourself, what did I try, what did I learn, and what will I change next?

This transforms mistakes into strategy notes, not shame. Emerging research shows that this type of failure log doesn't just reduce fear, it also makes learning faster and confidence stronger.

Check the log, captain!

Aye aye, mate.

All right. And action step number five, build a fail forward toolkit. Fear shows up physically.

You know, you get butterflies in the stomach and tense shoulders, fast heartbeat. Um, so these are some tools that calm your system.

Before you take action. Like example. Breathing. Inhale four. Exhale four. Do that five times. Grounding.

Notice three things that you can see, two that you can hear and one you can feel.

Oh wow.

Smack, smack.

That's funny. And then another one is movement.

Yeah. Jump, stretch or shake it out for 60 seconds.

You like that?

I love that.

What's The Professor doing over there? He's just shaking it.

Qualify for TikTok. But these simple moves break the fear loop and prepare your brain to think clearly instead of in panic mode.

And when it comes to overcoming fear of failure, action beats avoidance every time. Why is that, Professor?

Because most people wait to feel confident before acting. They, they, they wait for confidence before they act. And here's the ironic thing. Confidence comes after, not before.

The more you act, the more evidence you create that you can do it. You can do it.

Yes.

You gain confidence by moving, not by thinking about moving.

That's a very good point. And that's the exact kind of shift people experience in our Life. Map Course turning fear into strategy, clarity, and forward progress.

Now, the Life Map Course doesn't erase fear, but it gives you tools to use fear as fuel. You get clear direction, step by step, planning and confidence builders that make your fear less paralyzing and more productive.

Learn more at LifeMapCourse.com. And that brings us to this episode's BIGG Assignment from The Professor.

Pick one goal you've been avoiding because of fear, then complete these four steps. Number one, write it down clearly and specifically number two, break it into the smallest next step you can take. I'm talking about...

If you're talking about a project, you need a file folder to hold all your paperwork in. That's your small step.

Well, that's pretty small.

Do it now. Execute that step. I just told you that. Even if your fear score is 8 out of 10.

And then afterward, write down two things, what you learned, and one thing to do next.

That's a great assignment, Professor. And so what's the goal with this BIGG Assignment?

Take real action, not perfect action. You hear that perfectionism going away, though. That makes this perfectionist feel so much better.

Yes.

Make progress, not excuses.

Oh, I love it. And here's your BIGG takeaway from today's episode. Remember this fear of failure doesn't mean you're weak.

It means that you care about something meaningful.

But your fear wins if you never move. Your potential grows the moment you choose action over avoidance. Even when you're scared, it leads to BIGG success.

Next time, we're going to talk about a completely different fear. Fear of success.

Fear of success!

Yeah. Can you believe that's actually a thing?

Yes, it is.

We're gonna talk about why it is a thing and what you, as a BIGG goal getter, should do to avoid it. Follow our podcast in your favorite app so you don't miss the show.

And we'd love to connect with you on social media. We're @BIGGsuccess. That's BIGG with two Gs.

We invite you to join our BIGG Success community. You can do that at BIGGsuccess.com/Join.

And we thank you so much for listening today. Until next time...

Here's to your BIGG success!

Find BIGG Success at BIGGsuccess.com