Induction of choice
Fear of failure
and as you continue to drift down deeper and deeper, so calm and relaxed, you now realize that the same obsessions you may have associated with being successful, and that this same obsession, that encourages competitiveness and perfection, also makes a fear of failing…seem like a natural part of life. You know this is untrue. And from this moment on, you no longer have to accept the pressures to succeed…as an appropriate way to feel. You are now learning to allow yourself to fail…and you see that the problem is not in failing but, it is in the inability to accept it, and to easily recognize it. You are recognizing, that if you are not setting appropriate goals for yourself now, then a fear of failure comes upon you. Realizing that if your standards are the right ones for your life, then the fear of failure is not the issue any longer. These are your real standards. Whenever you try to do too much, you have good reason to fear failure. You now resolve to give yourself a chance…a chance to grow and develop that ability. You have a choice, you no longer feel the need to take on excessive tasks or aim for unreachable achievements. You go step by step; you also look for the opposite of fear of failure. That is, you may feel the need to set your standards so low that…you can’t fail. You give yourself the chance to improve. You do something new, something new and a little harder. Harder than anything you have begun before. Discover new things…allow yourself positive learning experiences. Keeping yourself in constant touch…in touch with what makes you feel good…feeling good about yourself. Savour all the small pleasures and successes that come your way. Savour and recognizing all the ways you naturally succeed…succeed in living a wonderful life. Even in humble and modest ways, you’ve done the best you can so far, given what you know about yourself in life, you have done your very best. You are now defining yourself…more aware, not only of some of your achievements, but aware now, that you are more than what you do…and more than you make. You are more than the money you earn, the trips you go on, and more than the friends or professions you accumulate. You are a growing person, who learns from all the experiences in your life. You are accepting failure as a part of life. Viewing it as a part of the process of exploring and discovering your ever changing world. Making notes of the lessons learned. Often a past failure can make future success; you no longer overrate your value or worthiness. You don’t let the pursuit of success…replace more important goals. Goals, such as developing loving and supportive personal relationships. Gradually improving your skills and abilities. Learning to try new, daring, and sometimes, risky ventures. You resolve not to repeat a worn out venture from the past. You learn from the past…each and every day in every conceivable way…you are now freeing yourself from the enslaving message…a message that you have to be the best….that you must do only the acceptable things for others. From this moment on, you no longer feel the need to be perfect, wanting to be perfect in an imperfect world, is not healthy. You ask yourself, what would happen, if you did something for the pure joy of doing it? Not to do your best. You’re learning to play. You are providing yourself with non competitive, but stimulating experiences. Discovering the delight in exploring and trying new things. You take small risks at first….And as you do, you learn there is nothing to fear. Change and discovery can be energizing…you free yourself…free from the fear…that change brings an added risk of failure. You also accept the possibility of failure as a part of the human tradition. You have the human right to make mistakes, to try and not succeed, to fail outright. Wins and losses are both temporary. Your value as a person doesn’t depend on one thing. Failing at a task…doesn’t mean you fail as a person. You are also recognizing what you get when you succeed, and recognize what you get when you lose, or fail. You notice that failure doesn’t cut off the opportunity to try again. Now, I would like you to picture and imagine yourself in a venture/task. A venture/task in which you have failed…either in the past or a venture/task in which you are going to ‘try’ in the future. Imagine yourself failing, go ahead, that’s it, imagine yourself failing. For the next few moments you wont hear my voice while you do this…but you are able to make that picture. Now, imagine yourself succeeding with the same project. Take a few seconds to do this. Now, imagine an absolute impossible thing happening, take a few moments to do this. Now imagine yourself surviving that and trying again, and as you do…see…feel and hear yourself succeeding beyond your wildest dreams and expectations, go ahead, take a few more seconds to do this. And, now, with each and every passing day you resolve to stop keeping score on yourself, no longer dwelling on the discrepancy of your achievement and goals. You realize now that the only constant in life is change. You now resolve to ride out life’s ups and downs. Periodic failures don’t mock you in your failings it only mocks you in the fact you are a normal, fallible human being. Now, just drift deeper and deeper.
In a moment you will return to your full awareness. I will count from one to five. Use your own count back