The Fear of Success in Business

Most often, what is actually feared is a side effect of success. Here are a few tips to overcome the fear of success and courageously move your business forward.

People typically take action when the pain of not acting becomes more than the fear of taking the action.

This can be a fear of change or fear of failure in business.

Other fears exist too…

As a business advisor, I have often seen this fear of success in my business owner clients.

The fear of success can exist in your mind subconsciously. Most often, what is feared is a side effect of success. Certain concerns may include:

If I am successful, will my friends become jealous and treat me differently?

If I am successful, will my brother in law expect me to pay for his dinner when we go out?

And most important…

If I am successful, what new responsibilities will I now have?

Will I be able to maintain the new level of expectations I create?

Recognize the fears

Could it be possible that these fears are created by us and could be separate from the actual or possible events that we fear?

Acknowledging the fears reduces them

The solution to reducing or eliminating a fear is within our hearts and our minds. When we can separate the feeling of fear from the contemplated event or action, we can assess the best action to take without the fear controlling the decision or inability to decide.

In deciding to act in the pursuit of significant success, it is a wonderful feeling to get past the fear and courageously pursue your goals.

When you reach your goals, you will realize the concerns for the side effects of success were also self-created. This doesn’t mean they weren’t real for you when you created them; it just means they can disappear whenever you decide they were.

Have you experienced the fear of success? How did you overcome it? 

Share the Post:

Related Posts

You can't learn from a popup

But you can learn from real stories about business owners’ challenges and breakthroughs.

Get the stories delivered to your inbox every week.