Have you ever felt paralysed by the fear of failure? You’re not alone.
Often, in the pursuit of greatness, real estate agents can become blinkered by their desire to create perfection that their fear ends up meaning they don’t embrace the opportunities right in front of them.
US author, marketing strategist and former dot com business executive Seth Godin has three tips to help you overcome your fear and unleash your creative potential.
1. Acknowledge that failure is a necessary part of the creative process
Seth says that every person contains “genius” and “letting the genius out” and being original means taking risks and trying something that might not work.
“That expression, ‘it might not work’ is super hard to say out loud,” he says.
It’s important to accept that failure is a natural part of the creative process and that it doesn’t mean you’re not a genius.
Acknowledging that failure is an inevitable part of the journey to success helps reduce the perceived power failure has over you.
2. Reframe fear as a positive force
Seth suggests that fear is hardwired into us for survival reasons, but often we have false fears that hold us back.
“Fear is hardwired into us for good reason… You had a reason to be afraid during the Spanish Inquisition,” he says.
“But if you have to give a presentation at work, or speak to your kid’s third grade class, why are you afraid? What’s going to happen? Nothing.
“We have all this false fear.”
To overcome this, one tip would be to reframe fear as a positive force that helps guide us towards what we’re meant to do.
By “dancing with the fear” and viewing it as a compass, we can use it as a hint that we’re onto something and doing something that might be worth pursuing.
3. Embrace experimentation and practice
Seth uses the metaphor of “unlimited bowling” to suggest that we should embrace experimentation and practice in order to hone our craft and become better at what we do.
Rather than trying to get ball right down the centre every time, we should have the guts to persistently and consistently bring our ideas forward, even if they might not work.
Therefore, another tip would be to embrace experimentation and practice, and not worry about getting everything perfect on the first try.
“Anyone who thinks of themselves as a creative has to acknowledge, if you’re asking for a guarantee you’re in the wrong line,” Seth says.
