Fear--and Failure

It would be interesting to know how many worthwhile things we could have done and should have done that we failed to do because we were afraid. We sometimes assume that we are more afraid than other men are. But when we are trembling inside ourselves, it is at least a reasonably good guess that the men we have to meet and compete with are trembling inside also. No mortal man ever lived who didn’t know the feeling of fear. Our fears change, but they seldom completely disappear. When we are young, we fear some things, and when we are old, we fear others. Sometimes we are afraid of the dark, and sometimes we are afraid of the wolf at the door. But we are fearful of some problem at almost every period of life. Before we have a job we are afraid we won’t be able to get one. And when we have one, we are afraid we won’t be able to keep it. At first we are afraid we can’t win. And when we have won once, we are afraid we can’t win again. Before we are married, we are afraid we can’t make a home. And when we have a home, we are fearful that we can’t continue to keep it. In poverty we are afraid we can’t provide for our children. In plenty we are afraid that prosperity will spoil them. Those who don’t have what they want are afraid they won’t be able to get it. And those who have what they want are afraid they can’t keep it. Some men are more fearful than others. Some are better bluffers. Some don’t show their fears as much. But it is more than probable that our opponents and competitors and almost all the men we meet have their fears⎯down deep inside. But we must learn not to let fear keep us from moving forward.  It is no disgrace to be afraid. But it is a disgrace to let our fears defeat us. And if we wait until we aren’t afraid of failing, we’ll wait a long time before we do anything worth while. We must learn not to let the fear of failure make us fail, and not to let our fears make our failures final.