Let’s face it, we make so many mistakes in our lives, it would be impossible to keep count. If you’re a perfectionist, not getting something done precisely hangs over you like a dark cloud, right? But no one can be perfect at everything.
So why are so many people afraid to fail or in that case, mess up?
You know what I’m talking about, the kid in class who has a look of complete panic-stricken horror if they get the answer incorrect or say the wrong thing. Not only as students, but also from the time we take our first steps to growing old do we learn, and you can’t do that without a fight.
Success only comes from a string of failures. Frederick Douglas once said, “Without a struggle, there can be no progress.” Need some proof? Just watch and listen to favorite success stories or even just ask your parents how they got to where they are. No great triumph ever went smoothly. That’s what makes it great; that’s what makes an accomplishment feel so rewarding.
As college students working tirelessly to keep their GPA high, we constantly have a set “standard” to make in order for us to consider ourselves accomplished.
Now, don’t beat yourself up over a low grade. Even if you’re not doing your best in a class that’s part of your major, just understand that it was a struggle, and learn from it. Nothing good ever comes easy, so you have to work for what you want. The more you understand that, the better you will feel about the work you do achieve.
The idea of a self-proclaimed “perfectionist” or type A personality bothers me. Yes, of course a part of me would love to actually secretly want to be that person; to have something come easy to me, but it doesn’t and probably never will. There’s something about working hard that makes you feel as if you’ve earned the outcome.
I’d much rather be the person who undoubtedly has struggled in order to achieve what I’ve wanted instead of feeling as if it was handed to me.
Bottom line: Stop worrying that you’ll mess up. Focus on the positive in whatever it is you want to achieve. It’s okay to get the answer wrong, as long as you gave it a shot.
Your classmates are just as worried as you are, so relax and enjoy yourself! You’ll learn more once the fear of failing goes away! So I guess the key word here is “effort”. Effort is what’s important, so let the fear of failing disappear and just go with it.
