Seth's Blog : Fear, failure and shame, oh my

Fear runs deep. Fear used to keep our ancestors alive. Fear keeps you from taunting a saber tooth tiger. The thing is, most of us don't have to deal with tigers any longer. But the fear still runs deep. We... [] [Fear, failure and shame, oh my](/282437420/0/sethsblog~Fear-failure-and-shame-oh-my.html) Fear runs deep. Fear used to keep our ancestors alive. Fear keeps you from taunting a saber tooth tiger. The thing is, most of us don't have to deal with tigers any longer. But the fear still runs deep. We still feel the same feelings when we face possible failure, but now those feelings revolve around shame. Losing a videogame in private is fine, but asking a stupid question in a meeting is not. Shame is the dream killer, because shame (or the possibility of shame) amplifies our fear of fear, keeps us from contributing and short circuits our willingness to explore. As soon as we give it a name, though, as soon as we call it out, we can begin to move forward. Fear of shame unspoken is fear of shame amplified. Be afraid of significant failure if you can quantify the downsides. But fear of shame is a waste and a trap. [Add to FaceBook]( [Like on Facebook]( [Share on Google+]( [Add to LinkedIn]( [Tweet This]( [Subscribe by email](   • [Email to a friend]( failure and shame, oh my;5523475) • [More Recent Articles]( [] - [The half-life of a near miss](/282271116/0/sethsblog~The-halflife-of-a-near-miss.html) - [Is ignorance the problem?](/282086890/0/sethsblog~Is-ignorance-the-problem.html) - [The thing you can't have becomes a powerful placebo](/281603304/0/sethsblog~The-thing-you-cant-have-becomes-a-powerful-placebo.html) - [Agency](/281127527/0/sethsblog~Agency.html) - [The best of us (the worst of us)](/280672994/0/sethsblog~The-best-of-us-the-worst-of-us.html) [You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.] Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Click here to safely unsubscribe]( from "Seth Godin's Blog on marketing, tribes and respect." [Click here to view mailing archives](, [here to change your preferences]( or [here to subscribe]( • [Privacy]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Email subscriptions powered by [FeedBlitz](), LLC, 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.