The fear of failing is real. It’s a silent threat, not heard but only felt like a storm you quietly but intensely sense. Many of us shy away when faced with fears. Fear of failure is malicious and can take over your dreams. The slackers are usually quick to sneer and judge. They note the failing strenght of man and welcome it with mockery, but there is something deep inside that scoffers fail to see. They don’t recognise the clever deed the failure tries to accomplish. They will never know the grim dangers the bold adventurer meets. They never seek a better way or chase a perilous plan. They never risk a breakdown to advance as athletes or even as humans. They stand where all is safe and certain, so they never face a challenge head on. I don’t mind being stamped with the failure’s brand. I would rather be a failure than the man who’s never tried. I would rather seek the mountian-top than always stand aside. Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.
Failure is a great teacher. It is not fatal, but it can wound self-esteem and ego deeply. For me, the fear of failing came with a pressure that helped me train, perform better and reach perfection. My perfection. The anxiety linked to failure has always been the element that pushed me to put in more effort and focus. I studied and trialled many new avenues to get the advantage on my competition over the years. The issue is that it can become a problem when your search for that perfect race becomes an obsession and you cannot stop thinking about it. It is hard to be in the moment and enjoy a race when you always look ahead to find what you can do next to improve to find the winning edge.