Is the fear of being wrong holding you back?

We live in a world where perfection is championed, and anything less is frowned upon. We are constantly being judged whether this is a business idea, our bodies, or just the way we post on social media. Most often than not, though, the harshest judge of all is ourselves, so why do we do this to ourselves?

We have allowed ourselves to be victims in a paralysed world with getting things wrong, making a mistake or waiting to do anything because we cannot make it perfect. When did this happen in our world? We reached this point in our history by pushing the boundaries, exploring unchartered seas, and repeatedly experimenting until we got it right.

Throw off that fear of getting it wrong or not being perfect, and a whole new world opens up to you. Understand that the most extraordinary people or those we see as successful now were not always that way. Richard Branson and any other icon of our world have always said they didn't always get it right. When he invented the lightbulb, Thomas Edison was asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" To which he replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps." and he continued, "Great success is built on failure, frustration, even catastrophe." It all comes down to how you look at things.

Do you think Steve Jobs cared what people thought of him? No, of course not, and he also didn't get everything right. At the time he was fired from Apple, the company was in severe financial trouble. But time away from the company and a couple of very successful ventures later, Steve Jobs returned Apple a new man. He was confident, bold and had a clear picture of what he wanted to do and regardless of what anyone said or thought, he pushed forward—the rest is history.

But that is why they did eventually become successful, because they broke away from the pack that were all worrying about making a mistake, being perfect or just petrified that someone would say you got it wrong. Most of the world is living in that state of fear, worried about what others, so-called friends, might say, think or do if we try and fail. And let's be honest, most of the world is still unhappy. So you have to ask yourself one question, 'Do you want a life like most of the world who are unhappy or do you want a life where you are not paralysed by fear?'

We get one chance at this life, and there is nothing worse than coming to the end of your life regretting the things you didn't do rather than at least trying. You never know what the experience of trying something may bring to you. As the old saying goes, 'if you don't buy a ticket, how can you win the lottery?'

Failure is just a lesson if you look at it from the proper perspective. When you look back at the mistakes you did make in life, they are often the moments that taught you the essential life lessons. So no matter what fear you may have in being wrong, use that fear to propel yourself forward and take the chances that come your way. As people, we are often more capable of achieving great things, and the one major hurdle in our path is, more often than not ourselves. That little voice inside your head that says you don't deserve this or you can't do that! As Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't....you're right!"