Steve Jobs: 1 Factor in Life Separates the Individuals Who Do Issues from These Who Simply Dream About Them

Steve Jobs achieved massive success as the co-founder of Apple, but he was no stranger to massive failures either.

Like the time Apple laid off Jobs at the age of 30. Or how about the time when he brought numerous product defects to market. Do you remember this Lisa the apple. Macintosh TV. The Apple III. The Powermac g4 cube.

He screwed it up a lot. But there is a bigger lesson here.

What is the difference between the makers and the dreamers?

Sure, we know that we cannot be successful without fail. But more importantly, we need to be brave enough to act despite our fears. And, according to Steve Jobs, that is exactly what distinguishes makers from dreamers.

Notice what Jobs shared in a taped interview with the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association in 1994:

“Most people never pick up the phone. Most people never call and ask. And that sometimes distinguishes people who do things from those who just dream about them. You have to act. You have to be ready to fail. You have to be ready to fail. ” Crash and burn. When people are on the phone or starting a business, fear of failure won’t get you very far. “

He’s right. Fear of failure can paralyze us – cause us to do nothing and keep us from going very far. Some causes are:

• Reluctance to experiment with new ideas and try new things.
• Postponement. They fear failure and avoid achieving goals.
• Low self-esteem or self-confidence. For example, “I’ll never succeed, so I might as well go back and get a real job” or “I’m not smart enough to start a business.”

The good thing about the fear of failure is that it is entirely up to us to choose how we look at it. Perspective is important. We can look at failure as the worst-case scenario and throw in the towel, or as a learning experience that helps us recover, grow, and get even better.

One surefire way to reduce your fear of failure

It is quite brave to face failure head on and embrace it. But if you’re not quite ready to take that leap, there is one surefire way you can reduce the fear of failure: suppressing the negative dialogue in your head.

To calm the voice of criticism, doubt, or fear, one has to catch negative thinking. Blaming yourself or believing that you will not succeed is a recipe for passivity and depression.

So challenge the inner monologue in your head by redefining it. For example, write down three alternative ways of looking at a situation. Go to work tomorrow and pretend that at least one of these alternatives is correct.

Happiness and success are ignited when our inner environment is cleared of negative assumptions. When we counteract destructive thoughts, we are better friends to ourselves and more desirable partners, colleagues, and co-workers.

The opinions expressed by Inc.com columnists here are their own, not those of Inc.com.