Symptoms of fear of success
- Procrastination. Do I really need to say more about this one?
- Lack of follow through. Did that famous blogger email you and ask you if you wanted to do a blog a swap? Do you find you are too busy to get back to her to schedule it? Or maybe a manufacturer has asked you to submit some artwork to them, but you just haven't been able to get to the post office to mail the package?
- Perfectionism. I hear excuses like the following a lot. "I can't start marketing my blog because I want a better blog banner." "I'm not ready to tell people about my Etsy shop yet, because I want to put up better pictures first."
If this sounds like you, you may be your worst enemy right now. Take some time to start working through your fears and discover your fullest potential. A great place to start is to figure out WHY you are afraid of success.
Why are you afraid of success?
- Are you afraid you will have to change your lifestyle? If you become successful, do you feel like you will lose the ability to have balance in your life? That you might be expected to be a "workaholic"? Or won't be able to spend enough time with your children? Or maybe you are afraid you won't have time to create art?
- Are you afraid of the expectations that you think will come with success? That you will have to keep producing bigger and better pieces of art? That if you get a book published, you will be expected to have another one published?
Once you have identified your fear and why you are afraid, it's time to start working on ways to overcome your fears and beliefs.
Ways to Overcome your fear of success.
- Celebrate your daily successes. I used to keep a monthly journal and I would write down all the great things that happened to me in the past month. I found that if I waited longer than a month, I would forget small, but important, victories. By documenting your success you will start to realize that you are experiencing success often and nothing bad is happening as result!
- Find a support system to help you manage your success. Find people to cheer you on. People who will remind you of your successes. But also find people who can help you manage your success. One of my coaching clients hired me when a publisher accepted her book proposal. She knew she would need help staying on track with deadlines and was able to manage her fear of deadlines, by hiring someone (me!) to help her create processes that would enable her to enjoy her success and limit her stress.
- Remember you are in charge. The best thing about working for yourself is that you are in charge. I carefully manage my success by remembering what's important to me. I accept opportunities if they fit into my purpose in life (to help other artists and crafters succeed in business and maintain balance in their lives) and if they work in my schedule. Right now, I don't feel I can embrace success in licensing because my daughter is young and I don't have the time to meet tight deadlines. I do have time to accept success with my ecourses though. Take some time to figure out, honestly, the success you can accept in your life and then welcome it with open arms.
I hope this article helps you take a look at your business and it's perceived limits in a different light. If you have any tips for overcoming fear of success, please leave them in the comments below. If you are interested in learning more about my coaching services, please feel free to email me for a free proposal.
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8 comments:
I have found that my own blocks to succeeding stem from childhood beliefs about worthiness and safety being seen and made the center of attention. I feel that these are commonly held sub-conscious beliefs that hold us all back from achieving our dreams no matter what they are. In my work as a coach I use Meridian Tapping (EFT) and many other releasing techniques to move blocks of no longer needed limiting beliefs from our systems as well as processes to get in touch with exactly what our limiting thoughts are. Just being aware of what we deeply feel about presenting ourselves to the world can move us past what is holding us back. It so rarely is about what we are doing and more about what we are feeling and believing about ourselves and the world around us. This is just my take on the topic, I think it expands of what you so eloquently brought up. I love your energy and positive ideas for us all being more successful in everything we do.
Wow, this post really struck a chord with me! I think I've had a feeling that I'm afraid of success, but kept shruging it away thinking it was a preposterous thing to be afraid of! So many things you mentioned rang true for me and I want to thank you for all that you wrote. I will definitely re-examine my fears and small successes in an effort to move forward!
This is such an important subject Laura, thank you for bringing it up. You are right on. When most people blame a fear of failure like you say they are really afraid of success. I always try to imagine myself later in years and wonder would I regret not having ever tried? Thank you for making me think. XX OO
Great article Laura! Good tools for staying on track - it's your gift!!
"Be careful what you wish for. you just may get it" It rings so true but WHY? Your article has tapped into our deep doubts that we don't want to face. I think partly for me, I am afraid that if I get a book published, I will have to travel ALONE, meet people and be in new places and situations where I don't easily know HOW to find my way around.Can't I have finacial success and stay in my comfy secure home??
Diane Long
Thanks for the suggestion to write down your small successes. I agree, most artists are afraid of success, not failure. And we all have small successes so it is good to remember them. I am going to start doing that today.
Wow... your first three points ring so true for me. I'm trying to break through this cycle of fear to succeed. I know I have been doing it to myself for years now. Thanks for the insight.
Wow this really hit home with me. I think I know why I dont follow through. I don't think I am good enough. My work is not good and I am afraid to put it out there. I have invested so much money and I have made some too. I just want to put it all out there. I have to do better.
J
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