There’s a big difference between feeling like a failure and actually failing at something – one is a perception while the other is an occurrence. Learning the difference can propel you to try instead of never even attempting!
- Editorializing – when a 2-year-old spills milk, it’s just spilled milk. When a 6-year-old spills milk, her inner voice says, “I let mommy down, I am bad.” Between ages 2 and 6, we begin to editorialize everything we do and add a story to our actions.
- Aware of inner critic – becoming aware helps us to recognize negative thinking and manage it.
- Intentionally naming – give your negative voice a name like “Failure Frank” to help you recognize it and make a choice in how you listen to it.
- If love… – calm the fear of failure by asking, “If I’m acting from a place of love, how can it be wrong?”
- Reframing – consider true feelings and state those instead
- Turn self-sabotage into encouragement: 1) Identify negative voices, 2) isolate them 3) ask someone you trust “Is this true?” 4) speak truth to the negativity, 5) bless and release the failure (if there was one)
- Redemptive work of God – there is always a second chance; we do not need to fear failure!
- 1 Cor 13:8 – “Love never fails.” (God never fails)
- Acts 5:38 – “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men.”