The Fear of Success

I call the fear of success the undiscovered fear, because most people that have this fear have no idea this is what’s holding them back. But this fear is the killer of more goals and dreams than anything else. If you find yourself not achieving your goals than this is a fear you will want to look at closely.

The first question I often get when I talk about the fear of success is, why? Why, would anyone be fearful of success? To most of us it just doesn’t make sense. The fear of success is not the best name for this fear, a better name would be the Fear of Change or the Fear of the Unknown. It’s not succeeding that we’re afraid of, it’s the impact that success will have in our lives.

The first sign that the fear of success is a problem for you is self-sabotage. You may find yourself not following through on the plan you’ve set for yourself. You may find yourself missing key opportunities. You may even say that you’re procrastinating on starting your goal. These are all signs that there is something that you’re afraid of. That achieving your goal will bring a change that you may not want. Even if you think there is nothing but positive outcomes from achieving your goal you may be afraid of the change.

Maybe you’re afraid that achieving this goal will mean less time for yourself. Maybe you’re afraid that it will mean more hours of work and less time with your family. Maybe you are just really comfortable where you are and you don’t want things to change. Maybe you’re afraid that earning more income will mean more taxes and you may have to get a lawyer. Maybe you’re afraid you could get sued. All of these are fears I’ve heard in the past.

Don’t let your fears stop you. Don’t get comfortable. When you feel things changing get excited. You’re learning and growing and coming one step closer to reaching your goals. You can tweak your goal to make sure you’re taking care of your fears. If you want to make sure you have time for your family than plan that into your goal. If you are worried about getting sued and needing a lawyer than plan for that. Face your fears by preparing for them.

There is also the problem of not feeling like you deserve to be successful. This is a deep rooted issue with no quick fix. You’ll need to spend some time thinking about what you want from your life. I’d recommend you consider professional help and therapy to help you break through what’s holding you back. No one is not given the power to think of a goal without the power to also achieve it. If you can dream it you can do it!

Don’t let the fear of success hold you back. Just keep moving forward. When you catch yourself sabotaging your success figure it out as soon as possible and move on. Break your goal down into a simple plan and follow it. You can overcome your fears and achieve anything you want.