Can the fear of success have an impact on your self-confidence - Maggie Currie

Often “being successful” can appear to be a double-edged sword.  On one side, you crave success and you put a tremendous amount of effort into achieving success. Your perception of  success may be recognition/fame and financial rewards. It may be that you can't imagine your life without a constant striving for it.

On the other side there is the hidden inner fear, which is being afraid of hitting big time success. You can only imagine what comes with huge success. There is the money and a need to manage it. With money you may purchase more valuable possessions, they will also need to be managed. More importantly, with your success comes added responsibility. There are more people listening to what you have to say, there are more people following your advice, you become so much more influential. It is hardly surprising then that you get cautious somewhere along the way and start asking questions, such as: ‘Do I really want all that responsibility?’ ‘What if it becomes too stressful?’ ‘Maybe just a little success will do, I don't need to make it too big!’ With those self-imposed limitations, it is very likely that you will not achieve breakthrough success, instead you stop somewhere on the way and no matter what effort you put into it, nothing happens.    Your subconscious has decided to sabotage the whole process and that's the end of that. How does this situation impact your self-confidence?  It impacts it in a negative way. You stop believing in yourself and come to false conclusions about your mediocrity, insufficient capabilities and weaknesses. If you recognise something of the above in yourself, there is one thing to keep in mind.  The journey to real success is long and unpredictable. Some people have taken many years to become an ‘overnight success’.   If you believe you don't have it in you to think big because it intimidates you, don't despair.  Take tiny steps first towards your goal and get used to the taste of success gradually.  By the time you have reached your dream "destination" or level of success, you will have become accustomed to it to the point of being able to handle it comfortably. Any success will boost your self-confidence, no matter how huge or tiny, and therefore you should enjoy and celebrate each and every success, no matter how big or small.  One day these successes along the way will bring you the ultimate success you desire.

By Maggie Currie