Using Intentionality to Conquer Your Fear of Failure
For many individuals, the fear of failure can be crippling. It can prevent us from taking risks, trying new things, and pursuing our passions in life. This can be especially true in the arts and entertainment industry, where the stakes are high and success is not always guaranteed. However, there is a philosophy that can help us overcome this fear and achieve our goals – intentionality. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use intentionality to conquer your fear of failure and find success in your creative endeavours.
Table of Contents
- Understanding the Fear of Failure
- Definition of failure
- The risk of being creative
- Shifting our core beliefs
- The Impact of Mindset on Behaviour
- The negative mindset, an unhealthy coping mechanism
- The connection between the mind and the behaviours
- Intentionality as a Philosophy for Success
- Being intentional and live creatively
- Giving ourselves the best chances
- Accepting failure
- Setting Intentions to Overcome Fear
- An opportunity to learn
- A commitment to grow continuously
- Build confidence over time
- Cultivating a Growth Mindset Through Intentionality
- Definition of a growth mindset
- Trying different approaches
- John Cleese on how to become more creative
- The Benefits of Using Intentionality to Overcome Fear
- Fear sends an important message
- Understanding our relation to others
- Taking control of your own life
- References
Understanding the Fear of Failure
Failure can be defined as not achieving a desired outcome. It is something we all experience at some point in our lives. However, some individuals may have a deep-seated fear of failure, known as atychiphobia, which can hinder their ability to take risks and try new things.
There can be various causes for this fear. Past traumatic experiences of failure or criticism can lead to a lack of confidence and self-esteem. The fear of not living up to societal expectations or the Peter Pan syndrome of never wanting to grow up and take responsibility can also contribute to this fear.
For creative individuals, the fear of failure is a phobia that can be particularly strong. Creating something new means venturing into the unknown and there is always a possibility of it not being well received. Many of us are held back from pursuing artistic jobs because we are scared to fail.
Healing from this fear requires a shift in our core beliefs. We need to understand that failure is a natural part of the learning process and not a reflection of our worth. Overcoming artist block, for example, requires the courage to try new techniques, take risks and create something despite the fear of it being rejected.
The Impact of Mindset on Behaviour
Our mindset plays a significant role in shaping our behaviours and ultimately, our success. A negative mindset sets us up for failure by creating bad habits that hinder our growth and progress. This mindset often manifests in our lives through the fear of failure, which can be debilitating and prevent us from achieving our goals.
Jessica Stratton, a 2019 graduate of Old Saybrook (CT) High School and a senior at the University of Delaware, experienced this fear before her races as a senior in college. She put a lot of pressure on herself to perform well, which led her to prepare for a disappointing outcome before the race had even happened. (1)
Expecting failure is a coping mechanism to deal with disappointment, and this same mechanism can be applied in arts and entertainment as well. Understanding the mind-behaviour connection is crucial to developing creativity skills.
One question about psychology is how our thoughts and beliefs impact our behaviours and our ability to create. Our mindset influences how we approach challenges and setbacks. A negative mindset may lead to limiting beliefs that inhibit our ability to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions.
Intentionality as a Philosophy for Success
Jessica was struggling with her fear of failure when she stumbled upon a solution that changed her perspective entirely. She started being intentional about what she wanted and became confident that she could hit challenging paces. That was when she realized the power of intentionality as a philosophy for success. (1)
Intentionality is a term used in philosophy to describe the act of directing one’s thoughts, actions, and behaviours towards a specific goal or outcome. By being intentional, we can develop the best habits for living our lives with a creative mind.
Creativity is an integral part of being human, and denying its expression is like denying other crucial human elements such as love, passion, and joy. Living your life intentionally means that you are choosing to live creatively, in alignment with your deepest desires, and values. When you live intentionally, you are taking ownership of your life, and you are taking charge of your creative work.
By setting firm, impenetrable parameters for being creative, you give yourself the best chance to overcome your fear of failure. We tend to shy away from challenging ourselves and instead choose the safe and predictable path. However, living intentionally means that we face our fear head-on, knowing that failure is an inevitable part of the creative process.
Setting Intentions to Overcome Fear
Albert Bandura, a renowned psychologist, has demonstrated through his research on self-efficacy that failure is a necessary part of achieving success. It is through the experience of failure that we can learn and grow and gain the confidence we need to persevere towards our goals.
What matters most when it comes to failure is not the outcome, but rather the opportunity for growth. Embracing the mindset that each failure is a learning opportunity can help to alleviate the fear of failure. This is where intentionality comes in as a powerful tool.
Setting an intention involves committing ourselves so that we will take action towards our vision. This process helps to focus our minds and clarify what we want to work towards and how exactly we intend to do it. By setting an intention, we give ourselves hope and the motivation to take action.
When it comes to overcoming artist block, setting an intention can be particularly helpful. If you experience art anxiety, setting an intention to create one new art piece each week can help you work towards finding ideas for art more efficiently. These weekly pieces may not be perfect, but they provide an opportunity for growth and practice, which can ultimately lead to increased confidence and success.
It is important to note that setting an intention is not a magic cure-all for fear of failure. In arts and entertainment or any other field, it takes effort and commitment to follow through on the intention and push through the fear. However, by setting an intention and consistently taking action towards our vision, we can cultivate a growth mindset and build our confidence.
Cultivating a Growth Mindset Through Intentionality
A growth mindset is a way of viewing challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth and improvement. The concept was developed by psychologist Carol Dweck and her colleagues, and it has gained widespread popularity in recent years. But what does it have to do with intentionality?
Well, intentionality is the act of purposefully directing your thoughts and actions towards a specific goal. When you combine intentionality with a growth mindset, you create a powerful recipe for success. You start viewing challenges not as roadblocks but as opportunities to learn and grow.
People may have different approaches to different challenges. For example, a caricature artist may feel confident when it comes to drawing but may struggle when it comes to public speaking. By intentionally changing their mindset, they can approach these challenges with a growth mindset and become more successful in areas they previously struggled with.
The benefits of having a growth mindset are numerous. When faced with a challenge, those with a growth mindset are more likely to reframe it as an opportunity for growth and development. They stay motivated to improve their skills and see failures as learning experiences. This mindset can also improve mental health by reducing stress and anxiety associated with performance.
The Benefits of Using Intentionality to Overcome Fear
As human beings, we are wired to experience fear as a natural and valuable emotion. Fear sends a message to our body that there is a perceived threat, and it is important to pay attention to that message. However, when it comes to the fear of failure, this emotion can be crippling and prevent us from pursuing our goals and dreams. This is where intentionality comes in as a powerful tool for overcoming our fear of failure.
Approaching fear with a growth mindset and intentionality can help us pinpoint where the fear comes from and why it is holding us back. Silvan S. Tomkins and Gershen Kaufman’s research on governing scenes demonstrate how past experiences can be triggered by certain events, leading to avoidant strategies to regulate negative emotions.
One interesting fact about fear is that a securely attached child with their mother at 18 months is better able to preserve an intentional stance than an insecure child in high-threat scenarios (2). When you think about producing or showing your creative work, you may be concerned about other people’s judgement based on their motives and feelings toward you which can lead to fear. Using intentionality to overcome this fear allows you to approach the situation with a creative mind and ask important questions about psychology, such as why we are experiencing this fear and where it comes from.
By changing our mindset and focusing on our intentions, we can shift our behaviours and start taking action towards our goals instead of being controlled by our fears. Over time, you will feel less scared to fail and more confident in your abilities.
Overall, using intentionality to conquer our fear of failure is a powerful tool that can help us break free from our limiting beliefs and achieve success. By understanding the underlying causes of our fear (2), we can shift our mindset, focus on our intentions, and start taking action towards our goals with confidence and clarity.
References