When I found out that the fear of success was be a thing I was honestly just as shocked as you are.
It’s the subtle thing that keeps a lot of us:
- Postponing
- Procrastinating
- Self sabotaging
The fear of success is that idea that, even though you want success, the moment you get close to it, you self sabotage because you fear what comes along with your success.
Self sabotage is the shield that protects you from your fears and distances you from your goal.
It’s the drug we take to fulfill an unmet need, and the side effects push our goals further away.
Here’s some examples:
- You delay starting your side hustle, perfecting it endlessly, because you fear getting critiqued
- You don’t respond to invites to meet new people, because you fear judgement when you finally meet up
- You play small and don’t speak up when around new people, fearing being made fun of if you’re truly yourself
I’ve started reading
The Mountain Is You by Brianna Weist and it’s all about how to turn self sabotage into self mastery (amazing read btw).
Here’s what I’ve learnt so far:
1. Change is Your Friend
The fear of change is the corner stone of the fear of success.
Change means stepping into the unfamiliar, and no matter how many self help books and podcasts we listen to, our caveman brains are still hardwired to prefer a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven.
Embracing change is easier said than done, because your self sabotage probably kicks in faster than you can even consider embracing it.
The goal of self sabotage is to protect you, not to help you grow.
Something that changed the game for me is remembering I have a 100% survival rate.
Every single tough conversation, awkward moment, stressful presentation - I have survived.
Every single time I leaped into the unknown and embraced change - I survived.
And so have you!
Overthinking and perfectionism convinces you you’re not ready yet, when the trust is, you always were.
2. The smallest action is more powerful than the greatest intention.
In the book Brianna says ‘Perfectionism always leaves a writer’s page blank’, and as a writer/YouTuber I resonate with this a lot!
If there’s something you’re afraid to do, the smallest step forward is more powerful than a 20 step mastermind plan inside your head.
Perfection means nothing if we can’t see it.
Don’t let it live inside your head.
Baby steps win over overthinking every day of the week.
3. Traumas are the cracks in your future foundation
In the book Brianna talks about how all the traumas or negative experiences we’ve been through (and haven't yet learnt how to heal) become the cracks in the foundation of your future.
Self awareness of our traumas put’s us in the drivers seat of rewriting our story, and courage is the pressing on the gas of driving us into a new life.
We've all heard the saying before ‘nothing changes, if nothing changes’
Change doesn't need you to plan, it needs you to take the first step.