There’s an invisible force holding back brilliant minds with big dreams and keeping them in their comfort zone. It's not lack of talent. It's not lack of opportunity. It's something far more subtle: the fear of failure

Did you know that fear of failure has a very long history? That it actually has its own scientific name? Atychiphobia.

Here's something fascinating - fear wasn't always seen as a negative thing. In ancient Greece, the fear of failure was considered a motivating force that drove people to excellence.

But somewhere along the way, our relationship with failure changed. We started seeing it as something to avoid at all costs, rather than what it really is - a natural part of growth and success.

To put it into perspective: Thomas Edison failed over 1,000 times before successfully inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked him how it felt to fail 1,000 times, he famously replied, "I have not failed. I’ve just found 1000 ways that won’t work."

Now that's what I call reframing failure!

Or take Walt Disney - did you know his first animation company, Laugh-O-Gram Studios, went bankrupt in 1923? Imagine if he'd let that failure define him. We wouldn't have Disney World, Mickey Mouse, or the entire empire of magic he created.

Here's the truth about failure that nobody talks about: successful people don't fail less than unsuccessful people. They fail MORE. They just look at failure differently.

Every "no" gets you closer to a "yes."

Every setback teaches you what doesn't work.

Every mistake makes you stronger and wiser.

But knowing this intellectually isn't always enough is it?

That's why I've created something special for you this week to thank you for joining my newsletter...

The Fear-to-Freedom Framework.

Your 5-Minute Daily Practice for Building Business Confidence.

This simple but powerful framework helps you:

Turn fear into fuel for action

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Because here's what I've learned in my journey from employee to owner: the only real failure isn't failing itself - it's letting the fear of failure stop you from even trying.

When I started my first business back in 2015, I was terrified. Terrified it would all go wrong, that I would lose a bunch of money, and everyone I knew would know that I failed…

But you know what was even scarier than failing? The thought of staying stuck where I was, always wondering "what if".

If you know Sara Blakely’s story (founder of Spanx), she was selling fax machines door-to-door in Florida when she came up with the idea for Spanx. She wanted footless pantyhose to wear under her clothing, specifically with sandals, but couldn't find any. She cut the feet off her own pantyhose to create a prototype. With $5,000 of her savings and no formal business training, she developed her idea while still working her full-time job. She is now a self-made billionaire. (that’s right, not millionaire, billionaire)

As Sara famously put it: "What if I fail? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?"

So here's my challenge to you this week: Take one small step toward your dreams. Just one. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be forward.