Fear of success is just as common as fear of failure
What’s holding you back?
Studies have shown that fear of success can be just as common as fear of failure. Fear of success can be easily confused with fear of failure because either one can keep you from reaching your full potential. Fear of failure has to do with beating yourself up when you think you've missed the mark. Fear of success is more about worrying about how other people will react to your accomplishments.
Of course we’ve all heard about imposter syndrome. Oprah Winfrey shared that over 99.9% of the time after a guest finished their spot on her show, they would ask “Was that okay?” This included Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Fox and Barack Obama. So no matter how famous we get, or how many people we lead that look up to us, there’s still a feeling of unworthiness and need for approval. We still need to check that what we said mattered.
Success looks different for everyone and so do the fears associated with it. Will I still be accepted by my old school friends if I go home making more money than them (this was a fear for Tony Robbins when he went back to his high school reunion). Will I be accepted by my peers if I make a lifestyle choice that is outside what I’ve normally been doing? Will I be accepted by my parents if I change career or education path?
Bringing your fear into the light helps dissipate it and make it less daunting. Acceptance of self is key.
Vulnerability researcher, Brene Brown sums it up. Shame and fear can be linked to self acceptance. When we can accept the pain of defeat or the pain associated with fear, we can move on from it. Failure is feedback. Here’s a few famous people who failed before they succeeded - if they can move on and create success you can too:
Thomas Edison - Creator of the light bulb - Failed over 1,000 times
Colonel Sanders - Kentucky Fried Chicken - Recipe rejected over 1,000 times
Theodore Suess Geisel - Dr Suess - over 27 different publishers rejected his first book.
When you fail you learn. Success teaches too.
Success Creates Choice
If you’re fearful of success just know that creating success for yourself creates freedom. With great power comes great responsibility as Spiderman says! You will have more commitments and more responsibilities through success but it will also create more freedom of choice and that’s priceless.
Examining your fears, whatever they may be, and taking action to overcome them builds self-resilience - you become more courageous as a result. And when you know and accept yourself for who you are, its harder for anyone to second guess you because you’ve stopped second guessing yourself!
If you want to explore the topic of fear further, listen to our latest podcast for ways to overcome some common fears.
First you Fail. Then you Learn.
The Blueprint Bosses Podcast
Each month we come together and talk about a business topic and give insights on how we can improve or change ways we do business. Find us on Spotify.
