I’m scared of failing. There – I’ve said it.
I’m scared of failing. There – I’ve said it. In fact, I would say it’s my biggest fear. I don’t mind heights, or flying, or spiders. I’m a little bit scared of small spaces, but I find that my rational brain can talk myself out of that fear if I need it to. But failure….that scares me. What will people think of me? What if I’m not happy with the outcome? What if I have regrets?
And yet failure is critical for progression. How do you know where your limits are without a risk of failure? I was inspired to write this piece after speaking to an MD of a company developing nuclear power. For them, failure is essential – they have been working on the solution for nuclear power for several years already, and are probably at least another 10 years away from solving the set of scientific problems. And the only way of solving each of those problems is by pushing as far as they can until failure. Then they know where the limits are and can identify what to work on next. That’s life in this company; set milestones, push as far as failure and then learn from it to inform the next milestone.
I do a little bit of weight lifting with CrossFit and I have never failed at a lift. That’s not me bragging. In fact, quite the opposite – I have never pushed myself hard enough to know where my limits are because I’m too scared of falling. And yet, failure in this environment is safe – I can drop the weight on a cushioned floor and there is someone spotting me to get me out of trouble if they see me struggle. So where are my limits? How much more could I lift if I pushed a little harder? What could I achieve if I took a bigger risk? Is there a chance it may pay off? And if I fail, what’s the worst that could happen?
Future Space is a safe environment designed to allow you to take risks, push yourself and your business to your limits, explore what those limits look like, and what imagine what opportunities those limits might open up. Maybe you’re keen to explore a new market, or be part of a more energising environment than your spare room, or be supported through some of the areas of being an entrepreneur that you feel less comfortable with.
Failure feels different to each of us, it’s a very personal thing. But what does failure actually look like? What opportunities could saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ open up? And what’s the worst that could happen?
Elaine McKechnie, Centre Director
