Fear Of Success
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 major factor that is often overlooked, is a state
known as “fear of success”?
Fear of failure will lead many people into
inertia – the inability to make decision or take action in case they receive
rejection or negative outcomes. This mental state is fairky 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 also harder to eradicate.
Perhaps you have this tendency in your
life. Here are some indications of a fear of success mentality.
Studying and trying to implement
self-improvement techniques and/or personal development tools but your life
does not improve or may even get worse.
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 own patterns in the
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 ethe
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 ou expect to reach your destinationm if you do not take steps towards it?
Strive to do little things each day that will bring you small steps closer to
your goal. This is why having a personal development plan is an essential
ingredient 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 key aspects in 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 aforementioned saying is well known but have you ever
given it real consideration?
Don’t get caught up in your plan believing
that it is more important than the materialised 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 end 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 are better than taking none or waiting to
see if your foot is landing on the right spot! Even 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 – this 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 when its finished it can always be
improved! I have heard many great musicians tell how they hate listening to
their own songs because they can find a million things that need improved. Yet,
we still enjoy them. I think a classic example of this is “Bridge Over Troubled
Water” by Paul Simon. This song is hauntingly beautiful yet Mr. Simon does not
think its good enough!
Seeing only problems – how do you use your
focus? Do you constantly see only and alll 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. Everytime 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 the 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 are
important 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 then 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment