Don’t Let Fear of the Past Steal Your Present
“If you live in fear of the future because of what happened in your past, you'll end up losing what you have in the present.”
Fear of failure can feel like a shadow that follows us—not just into new opportunities, but into how we see ourselves. It often stems from past experiences that didn’t go the way we hoped: the times we tried and stumbled, opened our hearts and got hurt, or put ourselves out there and were met with silence.
It’s natural to want to protect ourselves. To carry those moments like caution signs. But when we let the fear of the past dictate how we move forward, we risk holding ourselves back from the joy, growth, and success available to us now.
And I know this because I’ve felt it too.
The Weight of What Ifs
Fear of failure sounds like:
“What if I mess this up again?”
“What if I’m not good enough this time either?”
“Last time I tried, it didn’t work—why should this be different?”
That voice is trying to protect you—but it often ends up limiting you. It convinces you to play small, stay safe, and avoid risk. And in doing so, it steals from the present moment. The opportunity to try again. To grow. To experience something new.
We can’t rewrite the past, but we can decide what we do with it. Will we let it define us, or refine us?
Learning, Not Losing
What if failure isn’t the opposite of success—but part of it?
Every setback you’ve experienced has taught you something. Maybe it taught you resilience. Maybe it clarified your values. Maybe it made you stronger or more compassionate. These are not signs of defeat—they’re signs of becoming.
You are not the same person you were when that failure happened. You’re wiser now. More grounded. More aware. And because of that, what happens next doesn’t have to repeat what came before.
Anchoring in the Present
When we stay stuck in fear, we lose sight of what’s possible in the here and now. We miss the joy of small wins. We delay healing. We silence our creativity. We sabotage connection.
But when we breathe into the present—when we remind ourselves this moment is new—we give ourselves permission to move forward with courage.
Even if it’s a small step.
Even if we’re still scared.
Even if we’re not guaranteed the outcome.
Moving Beyond Fear
Here’s what I remind myself, and those I work with, when fear of failure creeps in:
The past may inform your story, but it doesn’t have to write your future.
You can be afraid and move forward anyway.
Every time you choose growth over fear, you expand what’s possible.
The most powerful thing you can do is begin again—with hope, not hesitation.
So if you’ve been holding back because of something that didn’t work out before, this is your permission to step forward again. Not perfectly, not fearlessly—but presently.
Don’t let fear steal what this moment has to offer. You deserve to experience your life fully—not stuck in the past, and not paralyzed by what could go wrong—but grounded in what’s real, what’s true, and what’s possible now.
With compassion and courage,
— Anna-Louise Leyden