Overcome Fear Of Failure

In today's session with davidji, we will examine the nature of fear and how to tame this emotion. For the longest time, fear has served us as a protective mechanism necessary for our physical survival. However, in relatively safe modern times, this mechanism has turned inward to protect our ego and self-image, essentially becoming the main limiting factor for our growth. This session will help you understand that fear is a shared human experience and help you overcome this impediment to living a purposeful life. We hope you enjoy this fusion of visualization and inspiring pep-talk in the best tradition of davidji.

Transcript

Welcome to Day 3 of Living a Purposeful Life,

A challenge here at Insight Timer intended to help you live a life that is in alignment with your values,

Your goals,

And your priorities.

Let's jump into today's session.

With Insight Timer,

And welcome back to our journey of living a purposeful life,

A challenge designed to help you live each day with intention,

In alignment with your sacred values,

And connected to who you truly are deep within.

I am deeply grateful to spend today's session with you,

And to help you to move beyond some of the blockages that may stand in the way of living a more purposeful and meaningful life.

Today we will explore overcoming your fear of failure.

We all have hopes and dreams and desires,

But sometimes taking a chance on a new relationship,

A new job,

A new project,

A difficult conversation,

A new business idea,

Even the thought of taking a step into the unknown can be very scary,

Even horrifying enough to keep us frozen in our tracks or backing away from the opportunity.

Trying something new often seems challenging because of all the outside voices in our life telling us that we can't do the thing we dream of,

And because of all the inner voices in our head that are filled with doubt,

Second guessing,

Lack of faith,

And fear of failure.

But let's shatter that limiting belief and see what we're truly capable of.

You've got big beautiful dreams and a galaxy filled with so many desires.

Let's begin the journey of stepping into the unknown and embracing all the magnificence that is waiting for you.

The great Sufi poet Rumi is known to have said,

Fear is the cheapest room in the house.

I would like to see you living in better conditions.

So are you ready?

Let's take some time together and move beyond your fear of failure into the life you deserve.

Let's settle in and get comfortable.

Gently feather your nest.

Remember,

Comfort is queen.

And let's take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Close your eyes.

Let's do that again.

Long,

Slow,

Deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Allow your body to relax and your mind to settle in.

There's nowhere else to be.

And there's nothing else to do except to be right here,

Right now,

In this sacred,

Precious,

Present moment.

And simply begin to witness your breath as it flows into you,

Moves down into you,

Releases and begins its journey back out.

And simply watch,

Simply observe it,

Simply witness it,

As you imagine yourself in a quiet and nurturing space of serenity.

See yourself sitting in your favorite chair,

In your favorite room,

Or a place in nature where you feel safe and relaxed.

Notice how supported you are.

Feel your feet on the floor.

Notice the support of your seat and your back.

You are being held in the sacred shelter of the universe.

This is a place where you have no worries,

Where you can be completely honest with yourself,

Where there's no judgment,

Only acceptance.

How does your heart feel?

Feel free to place your fingertips,

Your hand or your palm on that space and really make that heart connection right here.

Feel free to adjust your fingertips to connect more deeply to that space as you bring your attention to the emotions it so tenderly holds.

As you do this,

Notice any sensations that arise.

Whatever they are,

They're perfect.

And ask yourself right now,

What does my heart truly long for?

What does my heart truly long for?

What is my deep,

Driving desire?

And in the very center of your heart,

Allow this dream to begin to unfold.

Allow it to crystallize.

Envision your deepest desire and begin to awaken it.

You stand right now at a fork in the road.

You stand at a crossroads,

Unsure of which way to turn,

Uncertain of the step you will take.

Frozen,

Stuck,

Perhaps afraid to step forward because you might fail.

Perhaps afraid to move because you might succeed.

Fear.

F-E-A-R.

Elizabeth Winkler coined the phrase,

A friend existing as resistance.

See your fear for what it is right now.

What truly stops you from taking a step in the direction of your dreams and desires?

It's the fear that you won't live up to the dream.

But that's okay,

Because we're going to move through this fear.

Stay with your heart right here and now.

And imagine that your fear of failure is a small flickering flame within your heart center.

See it as a soft,

Warm glow that radiates its energy outward.

Observe its shape,

Size,

And intensity.

Knowing that fear is not something to be ashamed of.

It's a human experience that everyone encounters at different times.

A friend existing as resistance.

Without trying to change or extinguish the flame,

Simply witness it.

Notice any thoughts or emotions that arise as you gaze upon it.

And it's okay if you feel a mix of emotions,

Uncertainty,

Vulnerability,

Or even a hint of relief in acknowledging the fear.

Allow these emotions to be present without resistance.

Because that's what your fear is.

It's a friend existing as resistance.

This symbolizes your willingness to engage with your fear,

To give it your attention without being overwhelmed by it.

Remember Joseph Campbell's guidance,

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.

If any self-criticism or judgment arises,

Simply acknowledge it with kindness,

Reminding yourself that all the feelings,

Including fear,

Are valid parts of your human experience.

In this safe space,

There's no need for judgment or self-condemnation.

Instead offer yourself the same compassion you'd offer a dear friend.

Remember fear of failure is not failure.

And take a moment right here right now to reflect on the root of this fear.

When have you felt this fear of failure most strongly?

Remember their specific experiences or memories that come to mind.

Allow these memories to surface without judgment.

Embrace them as lessons that have shaped you.

Remember the past is prep.

Every moment of your past,

The highs and lows,

The triumphs and traumas have all been designed to bring you right here to this sacred,

Precious,

Present moment.

And now go deeper into the flame.

Deeper still into the flame and notice that there's a diamond resting at the very core of this flame.

This diamond is your resilience,

Your ability to get back up no matter what life delivers to you.

This is your superpower,

Resilience.

Doesn't make you bulletproof,

And it doesn't make you free from failure,

But it always awakens your ability to get back up.

Resilience is your superpower.

At the core of that flame of fear of failure rests your resilience.

The ancient teachings of the Bhagavad Gita say that weapons cannot cleave it,

Nor fire burn it,

Water cannot wet it,

Nor wind dry it.

It is pure,

Whole,

Infinite,

And it rests deep inside of you.

The magnificent light of this diamond outshines the flames of fear of failure.

With each breath,

Feel this inner strength and courage infusing itself into every fiber of who you are.

It's integrating itself into your physical,

Emotional,

Energetic,

And spiritual self,

Replacing any aspect of fear.

And now consider that failure is not an endpoint,

But a stepping stone on your path,

Of course.

Imagine a staircase made of golden light stretching before you.

Each step represents an opportunity and experience,

A lesson of your past.

You've been there,

You've done that,

And climbing these steps has sometimes brought failure as a necessary part of your growth,

Leading to new heights.

So there truly is nothing to fear.

In fact,

This is the opportunity you've been waiting for.

You are the one we've been waiting for.

You are the house of yes,

And don't let your inner voice or any outer voice tell you no in the house of yes.

And here's our affirmation of the day.

Repeat this out loud with me.

I embrace failure as a teacher on my journey.

I choose courage over fear,

And I trust in my ability to learn and evolve.

Why do you fear?

Because you do not trust.

But let's get real.

Right now,

Right here,

You already do trust.

You trust this next breath that's coming into you right now.

You trust the next beat of your heart.

You trust that this next moment will unfold exactly as it's supposed to.

So let's also trust that you will show up,

Take a bold step,

And succeed.

That you will shine magnificently,

And if for some reason you fall,

You will get back up.

Resilience is your superpower.

So in any moment that fear sweeps into you,

Remind yourself,

Silently repeat the mantra,

I trust.

I trust.

I trust.

As you see this staircase of golden light stretching before you,

See yourself taking a step forward on the staircase.

I trust.

This is your willingness to face challenges,

Knowing that your superpower of resilience rests in your heart,

Your ability to always get back up.

I trust.

What's to fear?

Knowing you can always get back up,

And as you take this step,

See a burst of golden light radiating from your heart,

Dispelling any remnants of fear.

I trust.

Feel a surge of confidence and empowerment as you continue to ascend.

At the very top of the staircase,

You can see a wise and compassionate version of yourself,

The wisest expression of yourself standing at the very top.

This version of you radiates confidence and wisdom,

Knowing that although failure is simply part of the journey,

Your superpower of resilience can transcend that.

In any moment,

Connect with this inner wisdom and ask your wisest expression of yourself for guidance on how to approach this and any other challenge you have with grace and even more resilience,

And listen to the answer.

As you stand on this staircase,

Empowered and connected to your inner wisdom,

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in with me and feel the courage flowing through your veins.

As you exhale,

Release any fears of failure,

Of not succeeding,

Of not showing up as your best.

We breathe in courage.

We let go of fear.

We breathe in love.

We let go of fear.

We breathe in resilience.

We let go of fear.

And ask yourself right now in this sacred precious moment,

How do you feel now?

How does your heart feel?

How does your superpower of resilience feel?

How does your vision of your dreams and desires feel right now?

You are the house of yes.

And if for whatever reason you fall down,

You will get back up.

Resilience is your superpower.

You may succeed or you may fail up,

But now you have no reason to fear.

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in and release it.

And when you're ready,

Gently open your eyes,

Allowing this newly awakened courage and trust to override any questions of fear of failure.

See if just for today you can step into your power and own your impact.

Fear is never a reflection of your worth.

It's always an opportunity for growth.

Trust in your ability to face whatever comes your way with resilience and grace.

On behalf of Insight Timer and the Living a Purposeful Life Challenge,

This is davidji wishing you an amazing day.

Thank you for joining me in today's session.

Feel free to replay it over and over to remind yourself of how powerful you truly are,

How much you trust,

And that resilience is your superpower.

And this would be the time to share in the discussion forum.

Share your experiences with failure,

Resilience,

Success,

Fear,

Something you might have wished you'd done or hoped to do,

But didn't because you were worried about failing.

And share with others how you stepped into your power,

How you overcame your fear.

What are some of the failures that have led you to your greatest insights?

We want to hear from you and this can also amplify the power of your ripple as others learn and grow from your experience.

Thank you so much.

I so appreciate you showing up here today.

Let's keep that fire within blazing brightly.

Reviews

There is always something deeply calming anf challenging in your meditations and teachings. This one is no different. It addresses my greatest struggle... Fear. I saw my fear not as the gentle flame you spoke of but as a raging bush fire. However I saw it's beauty and I recognised that I could stand in the middle of it without being harmed or overcome.
Thank you.

Confiar en mí súper poder de resiliencia y en que sin importar el resultado, seré capaz de reponerme. El miedo es una oportunidad para crecer. “The House of Yes”. Gracias DavidJi por tus mensajes y claridad de pensamiento.

This meditation is perfect for me at this time as I recognize the fear within me and want to move through it.

Thank you for being steadfast in this world of meditation and guidance.

I'm currently pondering leaving my company and finding a new job. I don't feel so afraid right now. Thank you. Namaste.

Thank you David jii for another amazing session, I grew up in fear almost all my life, maybe it was the consequences of being in a large family, only one parent was strict, anyways now I’m 62
maybe like 2 years ago I started letting go all the fear, it took a while but I think Insight Timer has helped me so much! I thank you for all you do to better people, I’m glad I found you on IT!! Thank you 😍

Exactly what I needed to hear today. Synchronicity ✨️

I feel so grateful to Davidji for this meditation. After becoming utterly unraveled by the flu, I was in a very low state as my mind and body was healing from the onslaught. I now feel restored and courageous. Thank you so much.

Thank you for this reminder! I am setting up my first meditation class and it reminds me that there is nothiing to fear. Namaste🙏🏻🕉️🧘‍♂️

Thank you Davidji, this helped quite a bit and I will be returning to it

That was absolutely amazing, healing and powerful. Feeling the resilience and trust very strongly now 🙏🏻💫💖

I have so much fear. Especially fear of being hopeful. I will need to repeat this often. Thank you for this. 🙏🏽

Once again, you have provided vital guidance. Thank you so much! Namaste!

Thank you

Very powerful guidance 🙏

That was fantastic. Feel soo energized and light 🙏🏾

This was particularly AMAZING! As I embark on a new journey of self in discovering just how well I can create the life I deserve 🙏🏾💜✨️ Fear of being Great. Sounds so obnoxious and cliché. Until you're literally living it. I needed this today. I'll need this again tomorrow. Think I'll sit with this one a while. As always, thank you dear friend. For showing up, so that I can too 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾💜🤌🏽✨️

So much fear! I look forward to it not being a part of my ongoing life. I'm 68 years old and I'm really over it.

Powerful and deep yet easy to practice. This is a very useful meditation for situations we all experience with most growth opportunities. Thank you Davidji and Namaste 🙏🏽😊

This was wonderful. I will save it to listen again and again as i crawl out of the block of ice I’ve been living in—too frozen to get out, but able to watch through my own ice how the rest of the world kept going. Thank you so much! 🕯️❤️‍🩹🙏🏼