“Even when you fear failure, you’re not broken. You’re just blocked.”
In this episode, Nick talks about an F word… Failure. Leaning into failure can help us but most people don’t get to the point where failure can be a beneficial thing, they let the fear of failure hold them back before they even begin. Do you fear failure?
What to listen for:
Stories about how my fear of failure held me back for YEARS
What makes us fear failure
The perception people have of “fear” and how leaning in is more than just a nice idea, it’s critical to our growth on our path toward self-mastery
Questions to spark your brain to use the fear instead of the fear using you
“You need to lean into failure, but you don’t want to keep repeating failure. Some people repeat a failure, and they just can’t handle it. They have a hard time getting past it. Some people can’t actually get past it because they fear going through and failing.”
Fearing failure can hold us back without ever knowing if we ever could have actually gotten through it
There are some major life categories that most people have a fear of failure around
Most often the fear of failure is heavier than what we actually fear
“You’re the one who has to live with yourself. You’re the one who has to go through it. And you’re the one that’s either stuck in that job or that relationship, and you’re the one who continues to fear failure.”
Holding ourselves accountable to our fear is crucial to understanding ourselves better and gaining confidence in ourselves
Understanding that we are the only person that will save us from our fear of failure
Being stuck in anything doesn’t have to be a life sentence, likewise, the fear of failure and being stuck also doesn’t have to be a life sentence
Our perception is our reality and how we perceive our fear can be changed, but we must first be aware of it in order to do anything about it
“Take a recent situation that happened where you felt like you were either about to fail or maybe you had failed in a way and that you had fear going through that. Why did you have that fear? Was it something that happened before? Was it something in the situation that was happening at that moment? Was it an interpretation that you created in your head about how these other people that were going to be affected or not affected at all, how they were going to perceive you?”
Reviewing our fears can help us understand what and why we fear failure
Reframing the story we’ve told ourselves about our “failures” is critical for us to move forward with confidence
Learn about how long it took me to make one of the toughest decisions in my life because of my fear of failure
Learn where that fear came from and why it held me back for so long
About Nick McGowan
I’m Nick McGowan, entrepreneur, podcaster, and mental health advocate, and I've been on a 20+ year journey of personal development, learning to master my mindset, emotions, and the art of living with purpose.
As a Mindset and Self-Mastery Mentor, I work with ambitious men and women who want to live their most authentic and joyous life, by helping them master their mindset, emotional awareness, and authentic communication. My mission is to empower people to lead lives that feel aligned, grounded, and truly their own.
Throughout my career, I’ve built teams, streamlined systems, and improved client experiences across SaaS, media, marketing, and personal development spaces. Whether I’m leading cross-functional projects, optimizing SEO, Podcasting, designing strategies, or guiding clients through transformation, I bring a hands-on, solution-focused approach to everything I do.
I’m also the host of The Mindset and Self-Mastery Show, where my guests and I unpack the stories that shape us, challenge us, and ultimately guide us back to who we are at our core. On this show, we uncover the secret gems others have discovered through trial, error, and breakthroughs so you can fast-track your growth,
