Fear is one of the major self-imposed obstacles women, in particular, place on themselves that can forever block their growth and prevent their careers from moving forward and upward. I know, I have been there and done that! The truth about FEAR – is that it is False Expectations Appearing Real. Ok, on the real, there was nothing false about that fear in the film, Get Out – 🙂
However, we do let fear overwhelm us. It is rooted in worrying about what others will think. We tend to do this more than the guys. We suffer from the need to be perfect. We believe the mastery of our current scope of responsibilities, our level of expertise, and knowledge has to exist first before we are ready for the next level. We measure ourselves against frankly ridiculous expectations that we set. No one else has set them. And as soon as we fall short, the sky falls, the world stops moving and sometimes crippling anxiety sets in because WE HAVE FAILED!
Guys, some of you suffer from this as well. But not to the scale that women do. There is a desire or belief that we have to prove that we are ‘good enough’, and in the process of doing so, the fear of failure takes over.
But the question is, who are we proving this to? Your boss? Your peers? Or better yet – Yourself? We are our own worst critics, our own worst enemies constantly getting in our own way!!! Stop going overboard trying to prove whatever you think needs to be proven. Stop creating false expectations! Instead, stay focused. Operate with excellence and do it in a manner that is healthy and logical. Don’t go overboard being irrational. In the process of operating with excellence, take a few risks. Step out of your comfort zone but do it with conviction. If you miss the mark, figure out why adjust and jump back in now armed with more information and knowledge. Failure, or better yet, not reaching the initially prescribed desired outcome can be beneficial.
The difference between “failures” being career stallers or career boosters – is how you handle them!
