Do you ever feel like you don’t deserve the success that your hard work and determination has helped you to achieve? Fear of success is common, but it can be fixed by taking a few small steps.

When we are afraid of our own success, we tend to focus on what could go wrong instead of what could go right. Fear can also make us resentful when others achieve more than us, or it may cause us to give up before even trying because we assume that we will fail anyways. Fear can also manifest as feelings of not being good enough, or feeling like an imposter as an entrepreneur, as a mother… and even as a human being sometimes.

Fear is a powerful emotion and one that starts within ourselves; however there are ways for those who recognize these signs to take control  and move forward in a positive manner. Fear of success is not something to fear, but rather it should be an indicator that you are on the right track and making progress! It’s the beginning of a big breakthrough. And you deserve success. It is your birthright to live the life you want to live, without restriction. Without hesitation. And today, I’m going to help you claim it.

Finding the Root of Your Fear

Fear of judgment? This is a fear that you are not worthy or good enough to be successful. It’s also known as imposter syndrome. Fear is thinking others will judge your intentions and beliefs, leading you to feel ashamed and unworthy.

The question you need to ask yourself is, even if you are judged by others, do you yourself feel unworthy of success? Whose voice is actually telling you that you suck? If it’s yours, we’ll go over that in the next section. But if it is genuinely fear of judgement from others and you have someone else’s voice in your head, here’s some tips:

• Know your strengths and limitations. Knowing yourself in what you can and can’t handle will help you be less affected when it comes to other people’s judgments. Their opinions don’t define you. As long as you’re doing your best, that should be good enough for you.
• Resist letting others define you. Easier said than done, I know. People are entitled to their own opinions. And if their opinions easily sway you, it’s time to look at your self-esteem and confidence. Once you come to terms with how you genuinely feel about yourself, you can begin to work on the areas you don’t feel satisfied with.
• Be aware of your inner critic. Knowing the role your own voice plays in your life is critical. Recognizing when your inner critic pops up and is being harsh is the first step to re-wiring those thoughts about yourself. Once you wrestle control of your thoughts and beliefs, you can start to make shifts in how you feel without worrying what others might say.
• Make yourself a priority. No one knows you quite like you do. So it’s time to step up and acknowledge what you’re good at. Trust yourself and your abilities. Let go of the urge to be perfect, because it’s impossible. Prioritize your personal needs by preventing others to take control over the way you feel during this process, and about yourself.
• Invest in yourself. Getting support for the parts of you that you want to work on puts your growth and self-image back into your own hands. Do more of what you enjoy doing. Find a mentor that will push you to take that next leap to help you level-up. Get that gym membership you’ve been slacking on. Ultimately, just do something that you normally wouldn’t do for yourself that is in your best interest. If you don’t put yourself in motion, you won’t get to the next step.

Fear of responsibility? Fear stems from a belief that success means taking on more burden or pressure than one can handle with the resulting stress being unmanageable. Fear of success can also be tied to a fear of losing what we have or don’t feel worthy enough to receive in the first place. But, as long as we are being kind with ourselves and doing good work in spite of it all, we are worthy of success.

Fear of failure or success? Fear can be debilitating and keep us from moving forward but it can also serve as a motivator to prevent us from doing something that we may not be qualified for. Fear of failure is exactly what it sounds like: We get scared that we’re going to lose everything that’s important to us, just by taking one leap forward. We might lose out on our financial stability, lose our home in the process, everyone we care about in life because we’ll be losers at that point, and we’ll end up in a ditch alone.

Fear of success is tied into the idea that people believe they are frauds and have no right to receive what others work so hard to achieve. Fear in these situations stems from feeling unworthy or unprepared, but it’s important to remember: you are both worthy and committed.

These fears can be alleviated by recognizing that we are doing the best work that we know how to do, kindness towards ourselves in spite of it all, giving ourselves time to prepare for a new challenge through small steps before taking on a larger one with confidence, finding someone who will support you, encourage you and believe in your abilities, practicing positive affirmations and remembering that being successful is not about how much money you make or what position you hold but rather it’s about living the life we deserve.

Fear of rejection? This one can be the most painful fear of them all. Fear of rejection is the fear that we are not good enough, and this can lead to us never trying in the first place. We’re afraid that we’ll neither fit in with our current circle because we’ll have leveled up too much, but we won’t quite be good enough to fit in with those that we aspire to be like. Fear of rejection can be paralyzing and it’s easy to get stuck in our own traps. Fear is just fear after all, not reality. Fear doesn’t know anything about your future or the life that you deserve; maybe this next time you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for because there are always other options available when we start opening up instead of shutting down. Fear is just a feeling not reality- if you want something enough, don’t let fear hold you back from it.

Learn to Be Kind to Yourself

Recognize that you are doing your best.  Remember that perfection is quite a high goal to achieve and that it’s all about knowing your limitations and breaking through them. You are doing the best you can at any given moment in time so give yourself permission to fail on your way towards success- embrace what life has offered you today with great gratitude and a sense of adventure.

Give Yourself Time to Prepare for New Challenges

Practice small challenges before taking on large ones. Be courageous to ask for help and guidance. Prepare yourself to develop the skills you need to take on the bigger goals life has for you so that you won’t feel overwhelmed when it’s time to take off. Ultimately, don’t wait until you’re ‘ready’ or for ‘better timing’ because action is what brings you results.

Find Someone Who Will Support Your Success

Be kind, compassionate, and understanding with yourself in order to allow others to do the same for you. It can be helpful when success feels like a distant goal or far-fetched dream if someone is willing  to help you reach your goals. It’s important to have someone in your life who is willing to be on this journey with you, and will celebrate the successes as well as offer condolences for those times when things don’t go according to plan.

Put Positive Affirmations Everywhere You Can

Post positive affirmations where they can serve daily reminders that success is possible and you’re not alone. Positive affirmations are a great way to feel empowered, and spread that positivity on social media or by posting them in places where they’ll serve as daily reminders for yourself.

Redefine What It Means to be Successful

Being successful ultimately isn’t about how much money you make or the position you hold. It’s about living a life that makes you happy and proud of how far you’ve come. If you’re ready to overcome your fear-based roadblocks, I’d love to support you on your journey. You don’t have to fear success or struggle with imposter syndrome any longer. It’s not an accident you’re reading this blog. You’re being guided so take that next step. Let’s get to the root of the issue. Book a Breakthrough call with me and let’s get you FIT TO PROFIT.