Welcome to the Determined to Dance podcast with your host, Jennifer Hallmark.

Today’s episode, “Five Ways to Overcome Procrastination and the Fear of Failure” focuses on how our worry over falling short doesn’t have to stop us from moving forward.

Are you ready? The world would have us march to its chaotic beat but God invites us to dance in His will and His way. Let’s take a moment to be energized, refreshed, and motivated to face the day, one spin and twirl at a time.
Show Notes: Five Ways to Overcome Procrastination and the Fear of Failure

Fear of failure. We all battle that subtle, whispering voice that speaks doom and gloom to our soul. If we listen, our ability to dance will diminish and we’ll find ourselves seated in the chairs alongside the back wall of the ballroom.

Thoughts like:

You’ve failed before.

Better not try that.

Who do you think you are?

And, to me, the strongest one of all. What will people think when you mess up? Again?

So, we put off what we want to do, feel called or led to do, and instead back away slowly, waiting for a better day, a time when we feel brave, or maybe…

Never.

Stopped in our tracks by the fear of failure.

Excuses. At some point in 2020, I began to allow excuses a place in my life. My debut novel, Jessie’s Hope, had released in June of 2019. It was an exciting, exhilarating ride full of fun events, meeting people, and the culmination of my hopes and dreams. I enjoyed every moment of it.

But…2020 blew in and all the events and people fell to the wayside. My sales fell too and along with it, part of my self-confidence. I’d read all the articles warning me against the feelings that would come after the initial release of a book but they didn’t help. I began questioning my career choice. Fear followed me as whispers of “you’re a failure” increased in volume.

I had two new novels written. Have you ever tried to shop or market a book during a pandemic? I see you nodding in an understanding way. You might not be an author but fear of failure knows no boundaries. It attacks:

Young mothers.
Office employees.
Teachers.
Farmers and ranchers.
Single and married.
Teens and children.

No matter what you attempt to do (multiply that by 10 in 2020) Fear of failure is there to let you know it's no use, why try? And just stop and rest. 2021 will be better timing.

Or 2022.

Maybe 2023

I started making excuses. I couldn’t do this writer thing. And it snowballed. I felt like a failure as a mother, grandmother, wife, church member. A boulder of fear, remorse, and guilt weighed on me heavier each day. My excuses grew as every aspect of my life slowed to a crawl.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can face our fears, stop them in their tracks, and overcome them.

How? Five ways drew me out of the pit of excuses and onto the path of moving forward, back in the dance, against all odds.

Journaling prayer-I began writing all my feelings in prayer form, releasing my angst to God. I often asked Jesus to come and heal the broken places in my life and to bring me to a place of wholeness.
Scriptures and positive quotes/reading. I made a list of ten scriptures that I went to when the fear of failure assailed me. I’ll add them in the show notes of this episode. I placed positive quotes where I could see them and read affirming books.
I realized that fear of failure is a feeling unfounded in truth. Throughout my life, I’ve sometimes failed in areas I thought were strong and succeeded in areas that were weak. Many times, what I perceived as a failure, at the time,