Fear of Failure and how to make it work for you

Failure is one of those words that can stop you in your tracks. It can talk you out of sitting a mock, push you to dodge a tricky set of questions, or convince you to delay an exam you are more than ready for.

Here is the truth, though. A fear of failure holds back far more students than failure itself ever does. And once you learn to work with it rather than against it, it becomes one of the most useful tools you have.

Where does the fear come from?

Most of us grew up believing that failure is not an option. The line is often credited to Gene Kranz, the NASA flight director who brought the Apollo 13 crew home safely. It is a brilliant rallying cry for a space rescue. It makes for a poor revision mindset.

When every question feels like a pass or fail, you start avoiding the very things that build understanding. You skip the mock. You leave the hard topic until last. You protect your confidence in the moment and quietly rob yourself of the learning.

The people who failed their way to the top

Some of the most successful names you can think of got there by failing first, often spectacularly.

• Michael Jordan missed more than 9,000 shots and lost almost 300 games, and still points to that as the reason he succeeded.
• James Dyson built 5,126 failed prototypes before his bagless vacuum finally worked on the 5,127th attempt.
• JK Rowling was turned down by 12 publishers before Harry Potter became a global phenomenon.
• Colonel Sanders heard from no more than a thousand restaurants before KFC took off.

None of them enjoyed failing. They simply refused to let it be the end of the story.

Failing forwards

There is a name for this way of thinking. It is called failing forward, and the author John C Maxwell built a whole book around it. The idea is simple. Failure is only wasted when you learn nothing from it. Put four ideas to work, and every setback starts to move you closer to a pass.

1. Failure sparks new ideas. Every question you get wrong shows you something you did not know, and that is information you can act on straight away.
2. Failure pushes you to be your best. As Churchill put it, success is not final, and failure is not fatal; what counts is the courage to carry on.
3. Failure reveals your weak spots. When you get something wrong, ask what you would do differently next time rather than just reading the answer and moving on.
4. Failure hands you a fresh start. Henry Ford said the only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. Go back, reattempt, and let those light bulb moments do their work.

Why are your mocks on your side?

This is exactly why we encourage you to sit your mock exams early and often. A mock is not a verdict on whether you will pass. It is a map of what to study next. The sooner you find the gaps, the more time you have to close them.

Practice makes permanent. The more you attempt, reflect and adjust, the more it sticks. You have to start somewhere, and a question is always the best place to begin. For more on building good study habits, take a look at our HTFT study tips.

The right mindset for your qualification

Whether you are working towards AAT, ACCA or CIMA, every qualification is built to stretch you. You will meet topics that do not click the first time. That is not a sign that you are not cut out for it. That is the process working exactly as it should.

So the next time a question catches you off guard, treat it as a gift. It has just shown you where to point your energy next.

Ready to study somewhere that backs you

Mistakes are part of the journey here, not the end of it. See why students choose HTFT, or explore our courses and find the right path for where you want your career to go.