Fear of failure holds many people back, but believe it or not, so does 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 fairly 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.
Do you suffer from fear of success? Let’s see if we can help.
One indicator is that you practice self-improvement only to find that you end up worse than before.
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.
Are you a pessimist? Do you expect the worse outcome even when things seem be going your way?
Do you see yourself in any of these descriptions?
Fear of success will definately delay your success. Here are more symptoms of this condition.
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!).
Personal development should be a major focus in your life. Part of your personal development should include training yourself to do the little things every day that will move you ever so closer to reaching your long term goals. If you are trapped by procrastination. Escape! Do it by taking small baby steps and actions today, tomorrow and every day. You must take action, because this habit is key to your personal development.
Can you see the forest through the trees? If so, you will act more, because you can see reasons for acting.
Focus on your goals and not your plan. The end result is what is most important. Allow the universe to direct you and deliver the necessary action steps as you keep seeing the finish line. This will keep you motivated.
The time is right, RIGHT NOW! Do not wait until all of the answers lie before your eyes. Take steps in the right direction now and the next instructions will arrive.
Action is the answer. You can always adjust as you go forward. Even if you take the wrong steps, you can make adjustments and get there way faster than not taking any steps and procrastinating.
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!
Are you focused on the problems or the solutions? If you only see the problems, you will become pessimistic. Don’t get me wrong. It is important to see the hurdles ahead, so you can make sure to successfully maneuver them, but don’t just keep looking at them and scratching your head. Jump over them and move towards your destination.
“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.
Success is a journey and not a destination, so enjoy it! Squash your fear of failure and your fear of success and move confidently and cheerfully towards your goals. You will experience the magic of personal development and achieve a level of success that many only dream about.
Learn more about fear of success. Stop by Mike Koller’s site where you grab his latest best-selling book 3 Secrets Of Millionaires achieving success and see what is really possible for those who move towards success.