Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?

Most of us have experienced the fear of failure to some degree. Equally disturbing is the Fear of Success. Sometimes what we are attribute to the Fear of Failure should be properly termed Fear of Success.

Is the Fear of Success real? Might you be experiencing this fear? Ask yourself, is there always something that gets in your way? Do you find it difficult to stay focused? Does your motivation wane easily? How confident are you that you can succeed?

If you are nodding assent to most of those questions, you may very well be experiencing the Fear of Success. This fear is the barrier to your prosperity. It is this fear you will need to confront in order to accomplish your goals.

There are several factors that give rise to the Fear of Success:

* Any alteration from our normal routine can be scary. Although there is a certain amount of excitement associated with new ventures, the unknown can produce a degree of panic. You may subconsciously be resisting the change and opting to settle for the familiar.

* You may be wondering if you can live up to the demands of success. There may be expectations from family and business partners that could produce undue stress. Success is hard enough to attain. Maintaining the prosperity may be a great deal harder. You may have to expend more time and energy. Staying balanced will be difficult.

* If you are a quiet person, you may not relish the attention your success may bring. People will seek you out for advice or set you up as a role model. You may feel pressured to keep up a certain image. There is the fear of losing touch with your inner self. You may resist the intrusion into your private life.

* You may hold to the belief that success is an end in itself and once you accomplish all that you set out to do you may not experience the jubilance expected. The dread is that you will inherit an existence of unhappiness and discontent.

* You may hold to the belief that you do not deserve to be financially successful. Perhaps you think it is selfish to achieve wealth. You may feel unworthy. Or you might even think it is sinful to desire monetary achievement.