The fear of failure is perhaps the strongest force holding people below their potential. In a world full of uncertainty, a delicate economy, and countless misfortunes that could happen to anyone, it’s easy to see why most people are inclined to play it safe.

But playing it safe has risk as well. If you never dare to fail your success will have a low ceiling. Most people underestimate their merit and ability to recover from failure, leading them to pass up valuable opportunities. The ability to fail big and fail often has been a mark of the spectacularly successful throughout history.

The following strategies will help you put risk and reward in perspective so you can overcome the fear of failure.

1. Consider the cost of missed opportunities - The biggest risk that people fail to consider is the benefit they lose by avoiding high risk/high reward opportunities. In his guide to career planning, Netscape founder Marc Andreesen compares a well managed career to a diversified portfolio. The ideal career contains a wide range of job opportunities (some risky, some safe) that combine to form a relatively safe career with a high potential for growth. Taking high risk opportunities is essential because they offer the greatest reward:

The issue is that without taking risk, you can’t exploit any opportunities. You can live a quiet and reasonably happy life, but you are unlikely to create something new, and you are unlikely to make your mark on the world.

2. Research the alternatives - The unknown is a major source of fear. When you don’t know what you’re dealing with, potential consequences seem far worse than they actually are. Take the power out fear by understanding it. Research all the potential outcomes (both good and bad) so you genuinely understand the risk of failure and benefits of success. Analyzing these outcomes will help you see through the fear of failure and make a logical decision.

3. Put the worst-case scenario in perspective - One of the most powerful questions posed by Tim Ferriss in the 4-Hour Workweek is: If you chase your dreams and fall flat on your face, worst-case scenario, how long will it take you to recover? The answer is probably less than you expect. How hard would it really be to find another job? Chances are you could recover completely in a few months. Is the fear of a few rough months strong enough to keep you in a mediocre situation indefinitely?

4. Understand the benefits of failure - As Emerson said, life is a series of experiments, the more you make the better. Each failure is a trial in an experiment and an opportunity for growth. Even if a failure costs you financially, the educational benefits can far outweigh the loss. Working for a startup instead of a big company is considered risky, but according Paul Graham, “Managers at big companies prefer to hire someone who’d tried to start a startup and failed over someone who’d spent the same time working at a big company.” Maybe that experience at a big company isn’t as safe or as valuable as you think?

5. Make a contingency plan - Another way to overcome the fear of failure is to reduce the downside. Hedge your risk by creating a contingency plan. Even if your first option fails, you can maintain the status quo with a solid backup plan. Daring to fail doesn’t mean you have to risk losing it all. If you manage risk intelligently, you can capture the benefits of high risk opportunities while leaving yourself a safety net.

6. Take action - The best way to reduce fear and build confidence is taking action. As soon as you do, you’ll begin accumulating experience and knowledge. Everything is hardest the first time. It’s like jumping off a cliff into a lake — after you do it once, you see that the water is safe and each time afterwards is easy. Start off with small steps and build up your confidence until the fear of failure is manageable.

7. Burn the boats - When ancient Greek armies traveled across the sea to do battle, the first thing they would do after landing was to burn the boats, leaving them stranded. With no way to make it home besides victory, the resolve of the soldiers was strengthened. When success and failure are the only options, you have no choice but to follow through.

If you have a goal, but are afraid to commit, force yourself into action by burning the boats. Register for an exam in advance if you want to go back to school. Set a deadline to move to a new city without signing a lease. Fear of failure disappears when you realize it can’t save you.

害怕失敗是妨礙人們發揮自身潛力的最大障礙。在這個充滿不確定性的世界中，每個人都會遇到一些微妙的關系和數不清的壞運氣，這也就是為什么人們會趨于保守。

但是保守同樣會帶來風險，害怕失敗的人達到的成就終究有限。大多數人低估了自己的優點以及從失敗中走出來的能力，這導致了許多好機會的錯失。可從歷史上看，遭受重大失敗和多次失敗的能力是一種成功的象征。

下面的辦法會幫助你分析風險和回報，然后你就能克服對失敗的恐懼。

1. 估計錯失機會所帶來的損失 - 大家都沒有意識到，最大的風險來自回避高風險/高回報的機會之后其收益的喪失。在Netscape創始人Marc Andreesen的職業計劃指導中，他將一個良好管理的職業經歷比作多元化的投資組合，理想的職業經歷包含了一組廣闊的工作機會（有一些是風險性的，有一些是保守的），這些工作組合在一起形成了一個相對安全又有高成長性的職業經歷，而其中挑選高風險機會是核心，因為它能帶來最高的收益：

    問題是如果不承擔風險，那你就無法開拓任何機會。你可以過上一種寧靜而快樂的生活，但是你無法創造一些新的東西，你無法把你的印記留在這個世界上。

2. 理解對象 - 無知是恐懼的主要來源。當你對要處理的對象不了解時，就會把他們想象得比實際上更糟糕。所以要通過對事物的理解來減少恐懼。研究所有可能的后果（好的和壞的），這樣你就能真正理解失敗的風險和成功的收益。分析這些結果可以幫助你看透恐懼，并做出一個合理的決定。

3. 考慮最壞的結果 - Tim Ferriss 在 4-Hour Workweek中最有力的問題是: 如果你追求自己的夢想失敗，在最壞的結果下，你需要多久才能恢復？ 這個問題的答案一般會比你想象的要短。你需要花多少努力才能找到一份新的工作？ 或許你需要幾個月來完全恢復，那么對幾個月的恐懼就能阻止你改變平庸的現狀嗎？

4. 認識失敗的好處 - 就像愛默生所說，生活是一系列的試驗，做得越多過得越好。每一個失敗都是一次試驗和一個成長的機會。即使失敗給你帶來了經濟上的損失，但你得到的教育會大大超過你的損失。不去大公司而是在一家初創小公司干活是一件很有風險的事情，但是根據Paul Graham的說法，“在大公司的經理們傾向于聘請那些在初創企業有失敗經驗的人，而不是那些在大公司工作的員工” 或許在大公司工作的經歷并不像你想象中那么安全或有價值呢？

5. 想一個應變的計劃 - 克服對失敗的恐懼的另一個辦法是降低風險，即想出一個應變的計劃。這樣就算你的首選計劃失敗，你仍然可以依靠候補計劃維持現狀。勇于面對失敗并不意味這你需要承擔失去一切的風險，你可以巧妙地管理風險，在一個相對安全的位置獲得高收益。

6. 行動 - 減少恐懼和建立自信的最好方法就是行動。當你行動的時候，你就開始積累經驗和知識。萬事開頭難，就像從山崖跳下湖面，當你做過一次之后，你就會覺得很安全，之后每次做都覺得很簡單了。開始的時候步子邁得小一點，直到你可以控制你對失敗的恐懼。

7. 燒掉你的船 - 當古希臘的軍隊出海打仗的時候，他們在登陸之后的第一件事情就是燒掉他們的船， 這樣除非勝利，否則他們就無法回到家鄉，這樣士氣就得到了提高。如果成功或失敗是你僅有的選項時，你沒有選擇的余地，只有向前走。

當你有了目標，但害怕去實現的時候，“燒”掉你的船，逼迫自己去行動。當你想回到學校學習之前，先注冊一門考試；當你想搬到新城市的之前，不簽舊的租房合約。當你認識到恐懼并不能幫助你的時候，恐懼就會消失。