does the fear of failure stop you from achieving your goals?

Fear is something I see constantly in the fitness and bodybuilding world: a fear of not being ready in time for a show or shoot, a fear of other people’s opinions, the fear of making a mistake, and/or the fear of still being the person that you want to change by embarking on a transformation journey.

Even the word FEAR can be intimidating but let me switch that for you. I genuinely believe that – to an extent – “if it doesn’t scare you, then your goal isn’t big enough”. Of course, this may not always be the case, but nonetheless, embracing scary situations despite fear will be incredibly rewarding. Why? Because it will take effort and a lot of focus to stay truly committed to your goal, and that is something nobody can take away from you.

So, let’s talk about the four main fears that I see most commonly in people when embarking on a fitness journey.

Fear of not being ready in time

Aiming to achieve an elite physique for a photoshoot and/or a show means that you will be working within a specific time frame. Even just the act of making that decision has already taken you a step closer to being in that body you know you can develop. However, it is normal to fear not being ready in time, especially as you are stepping into the unknown (even if you’ve prepped before, every dieting phase is different!). Nevertheless, the person you want to become is on the other side of that fear – would you rather embrace it, or think about the “what if”? The reality is that working on your body should be a lifelong journey that does not have a specific destination – as such, focus on progressing daily, controlling the controllables, and you’ll see how quickly that fear dissipates.

Fear of opinions.

I wish it was as simple as saying “Who cares what people think?”. I know it isn’t. However, if you take a step back and think about it logically, consider the following: are other people’s opinions of you going to help YOU move forwards? Or is it your opinion about yourself? In addition, if important others don’t believe in you… are they REALLY worth listening to? At the end of the day, your goal is yours, not anybody else’s, and you own the power to choose who’s opinion matters. And if they’re in the way, trying to put you down, simply nod and use that energy to show them and show yourself that you can and you will accomplish what you set out to achieve.

The fear of making a mistake.

In a world where there are 1000s of way to get to Rome, we have all been in the position where we’ve been worried that we’ve fucked up, that we’ve missed a rep, and/or that our efforts will be wasted. What we fail to realise is that every one of those missteps is a lesson in disguise – I will be turning 30 this year, and I can say with certainty that I would not be where I am today had it not been down to the many mistakes I’ve made along the way. If I wasn’t winning I was learning, and that has enabled me to perfect my craft over time. Therefore, remember that mistakes are essential: the more mistakes we make the more we learn, and learning is how we progress our mind, body and life.

The fear of still being the “old you” that is holding the “new you” back

Let’s face it. Everyone has a little devil inside of their head that is telling us to deviate from the plan; the devil that has led us to deviate from the plan previously too, and that has perhaps been the cause of some poor decision making in the past. However, you cannot spend your valuable energy listening to those voices or dwelling on your past experiences. I always tell my clients that “WHO YOU PREVIOUSLY WERE SHOULD NEVER STOP YOU FROM WORKING ON WHO YOU WANT TO BECOME”. That previous you IS the very foundation of your current masterpiece. The past you will remind you of where you’ve been, and where you’re headed and it’s certainly not back in time!

FEAR IS THE FOUNDATION FOR YOUR SUCCESS

Ally Burdge