New skaters are taught to fall forward or to the side, not backward. Even falling has a smarter direction.

Falling is part of the deal, so the useful question is not whether but how. You cannot plan every failure away, and you can decide in advance which way to go down, which turns a bad outcome into a survivable one. Preparing to fail well is not pessimism; it is what people who keep going actually do.

Pick something you might not pull off this week and plan the landing. Apply for the thing and have a second option. Try the hard route and know where you will ask for help. Deciding that beforehand makes the attempt easier, not less likely.