It is well documented that many people fail to achieve their goals in life due to the phenomenon known as “fear of failure,” but are you aware that a significant factor often overlooked is a state known as “fear of success”?
Fear of failure will lead many people into inertia – the inability to make decisions or take action because they receive rejection or adverse outcomes. This mental state is relatively easy to identify, and there are many tools in the personal development industry to help combat this plague and reprogram the mind for success.
However, the fear of success is much more subtle, harder to spot, and harder to eradicate.
Perhaps you have this tendency in your life. Here are some indications of a fear of success mentality.
By studying and trying to implement self-improvement techniques and personal development tools, your life does not improve or may even worsen.
You settle for less than you feel you deserve or are capable of achieving.
You start new projects full of enthusiasm and optimism but wane in your efforts or stop short before you have completed them.
You expect things to go wrong no matter how well the situation appears to be at the moment.
Can you identify your patterns in any of the above statements?
The fear of success can also make you behave in ways that hold you back. Look at the list below. These are the symptoms of the fear of success.
Procrastination – putting off what needs to be done or not doing what you know will bring you closer to your desired result. Everyone suffers from this inner ‘demon’ at some point in their lives (although some of us suffer from it more than others!).
Procrastination is a ‘success killer’! How can you expect to reach your destination if you do not take steps toward it? Strive to do little things each day that will bring you small steps closer to your goal. This is why a personal development plan is essential in the fight against procrastination. Take action! Any action! Refine your steps as you go along but do not sit and do nothing. Taking action is one of the critical aspects of personal development.
Can’t see the forest for the trees! – this is almost the opposite of procrastination but has the same effect on your personal development. The saying, as mentioned above, is well known but have you ever given it real consideration?
Please don’t get caught up in your plan, believing it is more critical than the materialized goal! For many years I got caught in this trap. I started to think and act as though my plan was more important than my result and thus missed many opportunities to alter my path and reach my goals more quickly! Let go of your ego and allow the Universe to show you a quicker route to your goal. Remain flexible.
Thinking that the time is not right – have you ever waited until the timing was perfect before starting a venture? Have you ever waited until you had more information on a better plan?
Again ACTION is the key to the door to success. Taking small steps forward is better than taking none or waiting to see if your foot is landing on the right spot! If your actions take you away from your goal, you have at least gained insight and knowledge about what does not work!
Being a perfectionist is similar to the point above and has the same effect, namely, that you never really move forward. No matter how good a job is, it can continuously be improved when it’s finished! I have heard many great musicians say they hate listening to their songs because they can find a million things that need improvement.
Yet, we still enjoy them. A classic example of this is “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Paul Simon. This song is hauntingly beautiful, yet Mr. Simon does not think it is good enough!
Seeing only problems – how do you use your focus? Do you constantly see only and all the problems involved? If you are this way inclined, it is pointless trying to change overnight! However, you can use this mindset to your advantage while you strive in your personal development to acquire an opportunistic frame of mind instead.
“How can you use seeing only problems to my advantage?” you say. “Easily” is my reply! Look at the problems and prepare a plan to deal with them. Every time you overcome one, congratulate yourself. Use them as a gauge for your achievements. If you keep seeing more problems, remind yourself of how well you dealt with others. Look at how far you have come! If you see a problem, ask yourself, “how best can I overcome this challenge?” or “how quickly can I rectify this situation?”.
The quality of your questions is crucial, as I have outlined in a previous article. Use the problems as fact finders. Is there a real problem now? If so, then deal with it. Is it a potential problem? If so, create a contingency plan in case it does occur but don’t get caught up in it; just be prepared.
Enjoy the journey, follow the above guidelines, and you will achieve success. Eventually, your fear of success will dissipate, and you will have moved a long way forward in your personal development.
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