To many people, failing at something is the worst possible thing that can happen to them. They often associate failure with disappointment and the thought of letting people down scares them. Generally, we assume that people who haven’t had a lot of experiences with success are likely to be afraid of failure the most, but what is more likely is that people who are already on the top or on their way to the top are afraid of falling the most.

The fear of failure is not age-specific. Children can experience it from a very young age, even though the stakes involved may vary as a person grows older. The way a child reacts to and thinks about failure largely depends upon the way their parents treat failure. Children need to be taught that failure isn’t something of which to be afraid. Rather, it is something from which we need to learn. Sure, failure isn’t something anyone strives for, but it also shouldn’t be made to appear as something that we can’t get over.

When I was in high school, I was first in my class for two years consecutively. The pressure that comes alone with the joy of being first is difficult for many to understand. It’s not always about disappointing other people but about disappointing yourself. It’s not about the greed of continuing to be at the top but about the fear of falling and not finding the will to get back up.

I failed the very first test I was given in college and it’s difficult to explain how I felt. My biggest fear suddenly became a reality. I was more than upset, but thankfully, I grew up with parents who never treated failure as a sin. They made me realise that college was a big change and that I couldn’t compare my experience in high school to my experiences in college.

My advice to anyone who is as afraid of failure as I have been is, simply put, don’t be. When you stop being afraid of failing at something, you get to experience it to its fullest. You get to enjoy it for the experience itself without thinking about the outcome. You’ll feel liberated when you realise that even if you do fail, it will not be the end of your world. Try again. And if you realise that you’re not meant to do whatever you were trying to, you’ll find success in something else.