The fear of success involves being afraid of achievement. Generally, success is viewed as desirable by most, but there are reasons why people may be fearful of doing too well.
It must be recognized that people often don’t fear success itself. Instead, it is their fear of the potential consequences of success. Because expectations of success are often based on the idea that achieving your goals means making sacrifices or enduring losses. It is not surprising that people may be wary of what success might cost them.
It may be difficult to see these as effects motivated by the fear of success. In many cases, they may come out of laziness, lack of motivation, and poor discipline. No matter how fear manifests, it seriously undermines people from living their lives to the fullest.
If you suspect that you might be afraid of success, here are some things you can look for:
- Being afraid of being in the spotlight and the attention.
- Worrying about leaving people behind if you move forward.
- Feeling anxious about acquiring new responsibilities.
- Being worried that things will just get more complicated than what you can handle.
- Fearing comments from naysayers or worrying about experiencing other social problems.
Once you have begun to identify the many ways that you avoid situations related to success, the final step is to begin approaching these situations instead. By simply facing your fears is the best way to go about it.