DIGITAL STARTUP SOCIETY BLOG — Could the Fear of Success Be Holding You Back

Fear can stop people from experiencing the level of success they know they want. Imagining a wildly successful outcome can spark a level of joy that motivates and encourages people to take action. It takes hard work, dedication, and perseverance to be successful and part of the process includes facing fears.    You Can be Afraid and Successful at the Same Time Dealing with the unknown is a natural part of being successful. There are many risks, roadblocks, and potential problems that spring up along the way. It’s normal to be afraid of what could happen and be successful at...

The fear of success can be a subconscious reaction to worries and perceptions you have about being successful. Everyone worries no matter how big their goals and dreams. The key is to be willing to commit to your goals and bust through the fears when they arise.  FEAR is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. That means a lot of the worries that come from fear never evolve past your thoughts. Essentially, the time you spend worrying is worse than what may actually come up along the way to success.  You could be held back by fear or you...

Setting goals and chasing success may create irrational fears and worries. That’s normal, people fear the unknown and imagine themselves in over their heads and unable to manage their success. That’s because people equate success with larger-than-life results.  When people imagine their success, they often dream big, which is a very good thing, but it may also be a bit overwhelming. Imagining fame, fortune, and all the trappings of radical success can feel awesome and intimidating at the same time. But are those the only type of success? What does success look like anyway?    Success is Subjective  Your view...

A lot of people fear success and don’t even know it. That’s because they don’t recognize the symptoms. Some fears seam unrelated to success and they tend to be a distraction that pops up just when you need to be hyper-focused or take action.    Is it Normal to Fear Success?  It’s normal to fear the unknown which happens on the way to success. Most of the time there’s no clear roadmap to success and at points along the way things happen. These roadblocks are opportunities to grow and change which makes the success even more meaningful and richer. Worrying...

Given the option, most people want to succeed. Under normal circumstances, being at your best is the goal. It might be surprising to know while most people say they want to be successful, many people actually fear success. Some don’t even know it until it’s a problem.  Fear of success isn’t a myth, it’s a real problem that a lot of people don’t understand until they find themselves sabotaging their own success. Sadly, people often find themselves subconsciously affecting their success without even knowing it because many of their thoughts and feelings about success aren’t triggered until success begins to...