I have been lost on
more than one occasion in the woods. In those situations, given the choice
between someone who says, “I’ll tell you
the way” versus someone who says, “I’ll
go with you”, I will always choose the latter. It is always best to travel
with someone who knows the way. Jesus said, “I am the Way.”[1]
Take note that He did not say He was the destination or the goal. Life in
Christ is a journey. Sometimes we freeze up because we fear making a mistake.
At such times we need to remind ourselves of the journey, and if we don’t get
lost once in a while we are not really exploring.
People are too
afraid of failure. Yet if you stop and think about it, the majority of us would
agree that our most important learning experiences often are the result of
failure. One of the reasons mature people stop growing and learning is because
they become less and less willing to risk failure. If you are not making any
mistakes, you are not risking enough. Much of what we call experience or wisdom
was learned from our failures. Most successes are built on a foundation of
failures. But when we fail, we feel weak. Nobody likes to feel weak. Yet Paul
points out, “For when I am weak, I am
strong.”[2]
The Chinese have a
word kiasu, which means “afraid of losing”. This refers to a
person who is afraid to move, even after all the planning, having all the
resources, etc. He is ever-worried that it is too dangerous to move forward.
The B4T leader must face the uncertainty that arises, fully aware that, as a
pioneer, there is often no previous model to learn from or depend on. There is
an element of uncertainty and potential loss that could create fear, causing us
to hesitate and not act.
Think of Moses at
the burning bush, Joshua being anointed to be leader, Gideon in the wine press,
Elijah fleeing Jezebel, and Peter before the cock crows. Need I go on? God
keeps us weak so that His strength can flow through us, enabling Him to receive
all the glory. As leaders, we need to adequately prepare, listen to God, and
then in faith, boldly execute the plan. Such boldness is not to be equated with
recklessness, but rather is a matter of confidence and risk-taking determined
by God’s leading and adequate planning. When God has spoken and all the
planning has been done, it is time to act.
Thomas
Edison explains, “I have not failed. I
have just found 10,000 ways that don't work.” The most successful B4Ters do
two things differently than other people: First, they are more willing to take
risks and therefore, fail more often. Second, they use their failures as a
source of motivation and feedback on how to do things better. Society teaches
us that failure is something to avoid at all costs. Fear of failure causes us
to be tentative or inactive. Don’t become stuck on a failure. The toughest
problems teach the best lessons. Learn from each failure. What you learn
informs your next action.
How have you overcome fear of failure in your business and life? If you have failed in the past do you find it more or less difficult to take risks today? Please share in the comments below.
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