Handling Fear of Success

By Kristen Sohlman, HBA, RP

What is fear of success?
A fear of success is a fear that you will accomplish all that you set out to, but that you still will not feel happy, content, or satisfied once you reach your goal.  It is a belief that you are undeserving of all the good things and recognition that come your way as a result of your accomplishments and successes.  It is the opposite of a fear of failure, in that fear of failure is the fear of making mistakes and losing approval.  Fear of success is the fear of accomplishment and being recognized and honoured.  A fear of success is a lack of belief in your own ability to sustain your progress in your life, and the fear that your progress can self-destruct at any time.  A fear of success can result in a lack of effort to achieve goals you have set for yourself, can result in self-destructive behaviour, may affect your ability to make healthy decisions, may result in a lack of motivation to grow, achieve, and to succeed. 

What is success?
Suppressing anxieties of not being good enough.
Uniting all talents and virtues for a greater good.
Confronting and dismissing existing fears in an appropriate manner.
Chance to triumph over competition without feeling unworthy or underserving.
Expressing views and opinions without hesitation.
Setting sights on a goal and achieving it with both sacrifices and rewards. 
Steps that if completed always lead straight to success, rewarding those who persevere.

How do I overcome a fear of success?

• Learn to celebrate your successes by giving yourself credit for effort, hard work, and sacrifices that you have made in your life.
• Learn to honestly appraise your achievements, success, and accomplishments.
• Accept yourself as being healthy, happy, successful, and accomplished.
• Do not give yourself excuses for being unsuccessful.
• Give others permission to give you honest and open feedback.
• Monitor you level of commitment and motivation.
• Visualize your life when you are successful.
• Give others credit, recognition, and support for their achievements, successes, and accomplishments.
• Practice honest, open, realistic, and kind self-talk.
• Accept compliments from others with an open mind. 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
​- Marianne Williamson