Jessica Lucas is 29 years old. She lives on Long Island, New York, and currently works for Bethpage Federal Credit Union as a Community Development Relationship Manager. She has worked for Bethpage for many years now and rose from a part-time teller to the position she is currently in. She is also my sister and she’s awesome!
Landon Liga: What does the term “embrace failure” mean to you?
Jessica Lucas: Breaking the phrase down you have the word embrace and the word failure. Failure to me, is not being able to achieve something you set out to do. Embrace means to accept or take into your life. Looking at the phrase “embrace failure” with these definitions would mean to accept something you did not achieve successfully.
LL: Has there ever been a time where you have missed out on an opportunity because of fear?
JL: When I first started working at my company, I was at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of chain of command. When the opportunity presented itself for a higher position, I didn’t apply for fear that I wasn’t qualified enough to get it.
LL: What advice would you give to someone who has a fear of failing?
JL: The best thing to remember with every opportunity that comes up in your life is, you’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. Positive thought has a lot of power over the outcome of certain situations. Sometimes just having the confidence in yourself makes you succeed.
LL: Can you tell of a time where you were afraid to fail but you took a chance and you reaped the benefits?
JL: Growing up with social anxiety and the deadly fear of public speaking, I avoided putting myself in those situations at all costs. As I got older and realized there was no getting around these situations, I embraced the fear and ultimately turned my biggest weakness into my biggest strength.
The fear of failing does not just disappear overnight. It is something that you must recognize as you continue to grow and learn. As you begin to recognize what you fear, you are able to push yourself more and embrace failure this is when your “muscles” begin to grow and you will become more resistant to the fear of failure.
This is the fourth in a series of posts by senior Business Administration major Landon Liga. He’s from Long Island, New York, and is learning to embrace his own mistakes.
Do you have a story about a time when failing made you a better person or when you faced your fear? Email Landon.