What is Fear of Success?
February 9, 2019
You’ve heard of the fear of failure – this is the complete opposite. Many people who experience fear of failure may have also experienced fear of success. If this is something that you have experienced at any point in your life, you might be wondering how it is caused and why you feel fearful of being successful.
Understanding the fears
In order to fully understand fear of success, it’s important to look at why the fears occur. Different people have different experiences, and therefore will have different reasons for being afraid of success.
One of the main reasons why a lot of people fear success is due to the fact that they are worried about being bullied. This often stems from jealousy or envy, and can occur in the lives of those who have experienced this in the past. People can also be afraid of success if they have been involved in bullying somebody else for their successes in the past, or if they feel envious of those more successful than them. These people do not want to be in a situation where other people feel as envious towards them as they do to others.
Another popular reason for being afraid of success is a fear of confrontation. Being afraid of confrontation and tension could mean that people shy away from being too successful in order to avoid dealing with it.
Facing the unknown
As well as individual fears and reasons for being apprehensive of success, many people are anxious about the unknown, regardless of what it entails. This often happens when people are fearful of failure and fearful of success. Both scenarios contain aspects which are unknown, and this is the root of the fear rather than the failure or success itself.
Overcoming a fear of success
A fear of success can hold you back in many ways. You may be afraid of success at work, at school or college, or you might even be worried about being too nice or about people liking you too much or being too successful socially.
Visiting your doctor to talk about your fears and anxieties can help. It’s important to also think about your general well being – practicing meditation and mindfulness is a good idea if you feel generally negative about your life.
Finally, take small steps and analyze why you may be fearing success in life. Little by little, you can begin to face any concerns you have, see small successes, and enjoy the benefits.
