For most of my life, my biggest fear was the fear of failure. I felt that I had the skills necessary to be a good football player, but what often crippled me was the constant thoughts that many young athletes deal with:

"...but what if I can't beat this guy off press?"

"...but what if I run the wrong route?"

"...but what if I drop the ball?"

These thoughts (or similar thoughts specific to your sport) are not uncommon for young athletes across the sporting spectrum. I knew that if I could overcome the fear of failure that I could truly level up to becoming the player I knew I was capable of becoming.

But what I began to realize was that my fear of failure was lower when I was actively working against it. Think about it.

It's easy to worry about missing the putt when you're watching TV; go practice the putt!

It's easy to fear about missing the open receiver when you're sitting on the couch; go practice the throw!

It's easy to fret about missing the three-point buzzer-beater when you're playing video games; go practice the shot!

If you're taking action, you're less worried about failure because you realize you have some influence in the outcome. When you know you have some influence in the outcome of something, you tend to take it more seriously. If it's out of your control, you might not care. But overcoming the fear of failure is something very much in your control.

It doesn't do you any good to just think about what might go wrong. Go work on what might go right!