The Fear of Success: Steps on How to Overcome
The feeling of wanting your dream job is common, especially when you have been through multiple interviews and feel confident securing the job. However, as you approach the third and final interview, you may need clarification on your desire to pursue the career—this fear of success rather than failure may be the root cause of your decision.
While you may find excuses to cancel the interview, none will likely be the underlying reason. This fear may result from past experiences or a belief that you can handle the position. Understanding and overcoming this fear can help you realise your dreams and achieve your goals. Also, understanding the difference between the fear of failure and success can help you overcome this fear and achieve your dreams. So, let’s talk about the fear of success and how to overcome it.
Fear of Success
Fear of failure is a form of anxiety that stems from beating oneself up over not achieving something. In contrast, fear of success is rooted in social anxiety and fear of the responsibilities of success. Typical forms of fear of success include setting low goals, procrastination, perfectionism, quitting just short of success, and self-destructiveness, such as alcohol and drugs.
Some people who fear success express feelings of guilt over being assertive in competition, anxiety about how others will react to their performance, and pressure to improve repeatedly. The root cause of fear of success is often social anxiety or the fear of being unable to handle the responsibilities of success. Understanding the different forms of fear of success can help individuals navigate their challenges and achieve their goals.
How Fear Shows Up in Our Lives
Fear is a powerful emotion that can significantly impact our lives, often in ways we don’t even recognize. It can manifest in various forms and affect various aspects of our lives, including decision-making, relationships, and overall mental health. Fear can make us settle for less than our dreams, leading to people-pleasing behaviours and fear-based decisions. Decision-making can also be significantly affected by fear, as it can lead to avoiding necessary decisions due to uncertainty.
Fear can also have physical effects, such as stress-like responses, weakening the immune system, and causing symptoms like gastrointestinal problems, weight gain, or general fatigue. Chronic fear can have serious health consequences, leading to cardiovascular damage, gastrointestinal issues, decreased fertility, and premature death. It can impair the formation of long-term memories and negatively impact our thinking and decision-making abilities, leaving us prone to intense emotions and impulsive reactions.
To manage and move past fear, techniques such as focusing on what you appreciate, meditating, questioning your beliefs, and trusting the universe can help change your relationship with fear. Other strategies include taking time out, facing your fears, imagining the worst-case scenario, not striving for perfection, talking about your fears, returning to basics, and rewarding yourself.
If fear continues to control your life and doesn’t go away, consider seeking professional help from therapists and psychologists. They can provide valuable techniques and therapies to help you manage and overcome your fears.
Fear of Success Examples
Fear of success is a real and common fear that can hold one back from reaching their potential. This fear is not about success but rather the potential price or consequences of success. It can manifest in various ways, such as fear of criticism, fear of losing friends, fear of heightened expectations, and fear of feelings of excitement.
Here are a few examples of how fear of success might manifest:
- Fear of Criticism: Many people fear that they will be rejected or criticised if they achieve success. This fear can limit one’s willingness to take risks or seize opportunities that could lead to happiness and fulfilment.
- Imposter Syndrome: When success comes with increased attention and expectations, one may doubt their abilities and fear being exposed as a fraud. This is commonly known as imposter syndrome.
- Fear of Losing Friends: Some people fear achieving success may lead to outgrowing friends or being socially isolated.
- Fear of Heightened Expectations: Success often brings new standards and expectations. The pressure to maintain or exceed current levels of success can be daunting and lead to a fear of success.
To overcome the fear of success, it’s essential first to recognise and accept its existence. Consider how it manifests in your life and identify behaviours that may sabotage your path to success. Next, manage stress and anxiety through strategies like maintaining a balanced diet, relaxing, exercising regularly, socialising, volunteering, and journaling. Lastly, visualise your success and prepare for positive and negative outcomes. It may also be helpful to seek professional help, such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
Identifying the Fear of Success
You can look for some things if you are afraid of success. These things are:
- Being fearful of what will happen if you get a lot of attention
- Worrying that you’ll leave people behind if your success makes you move forward
- Because of your success, you’re worried about taking on more duties.
- Being afraid that things will only get more challenging than you can handle
- Setting low goals to avoid challenges
- Procrastination and stalling opportunities
- Perfectionism: striving for perfection and giving up when not achieving it
- Quitting when on the verge of success
- Self-destructive behaviours like substance abuse
- Anxiety about surpassing personal or others’ records
How to Overcome the Fear of Success
When figuring out how to overcome your fear of becoming successful, you must realise that it won’t go away tomorrow and will take some time. But if you remain consistent with your efforts, you will eventually succeed. Take a look at it with me.
Determine when/where the problem started.
Ask yourself what it is that you are most concerned about happening if you are successful. Be truthful with your responses, and investigate thoroughly. Now, you need to ask yourself how likely this will take place. And finally, what would you do to deal with the situation if your worst nightmare came true?
Be aware of your potential pitfalls.
Create a list of everything you do that gets in the way of your success, and keep it handy. Write down these behaviours or ideas as you become more aware of them. If you realise you are working against your success, pause for a moment, take a few deep breaths, and give yourself a break. Now, what steps can you take to mitigate the impact of that unfavourable action?
Redirect your negative self-talk.
Start working on your self-esteem if you think you are afraid of success because you don’t believe you deserve it or won’t be able to handle the obligations that come with accomplishment. Attend classes that give you a better understanding of who you are. Think of two good ideas about yourself for every negative thought that you have about yourself. Over time, it will become much simpler to see the bright side.
Get rid of any detrimental influences.
Sit down and talk with the people in your life who contribute to your fear of success if you need to. Get away from them if they fail to see how the hurt they do affects you. You should populate your life with individuals who believe in you and your abilities.
Educate yourself and Set Healthy Boundaries.
You should start by developing the ability to decline activities that do not contribute to a positive vision of who you are and what you want out of life. Do not put yourself in a position where there is no place for you by overextending yourself by continually working for others. Maintaining a healthy balance in your life is essential, and you should consider the significance of your requirements with those of others.
Start Small
Learn to break your larger ambitions into more manageable chunks to ease your way out of your comfort zone bit by bit. Beginning swimmers are better off practising their skills in a more contained environment, such as a pool with fewer depths. Find something that scares you but appears pleasant to do, and give it a shot. You could be surprised how much you enjoy it. Give yourself a reward when you do something, and mentally note how fantastic it feels to achieve it. Increase the size of each step you take into the unknown. You will one day be able to reflect on your journey and be astounded by how far you have gone.
FAQs
What Is the Fear of Success Called?
The fear of success is a psychological condition where an individual constantly fears success, leading to self-sabotaging efforts. This fear is not about doubting one’s capabilities but about the potential change and whether they are prepared for it. It can manifest in various ways, such as setting low goals, procrastination, perfectionism, quitting when close to success, and self-destructiveness.
The fear is also known as “success anxiety” or “achievemephobia” and is also known as the “Jonah complex,” attributed to psychologist Abraham Maslow. Common causes include backlash avoidance, imposter syndrome, childhood experiences, and mental health conditions like PTSD or GAD. Overcoming this fear involves recognising its existence, visualising success, managing stress and anxiety, and seeking professional help. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective in helping individuals cope with their fear of success.
Why Am I Afraid of Being Successful?
Fear of success is a complex psychological phenomenon that stems from the belief that one may not be able to sustain or suffer from it. This fear can be triggered by fear of change, heightened expectations, criticism, or loss of self or friends. Impostor syndrome is another significant factor in which a person doubts their achievements and fears being accused of fraud.
Fear of success can manifest in various ways, such as perfectionism, self-sabotage, low goal-setting, procrastination, and quitting when on the verge of success. To overcome this fear, several strategies can be employed: self-reflection, journaling, exploring fear’s origins, visualising, and seeking professional help. Remember that fear of success is a common struggle; understanding its origins and working through emotions can help overcome it.
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