“Wait, some people are terrified of being successful? No way!” you might scoff.
Sure, the fear of failure sounds a lot more petrifying and relatable but hear me out: the human mind is very, very complex and not everyone’s brains function the same way. In fact, the brain chemistry isn’t the only thing at play here — some other factors include personalised trauma, environmental factors as well as upbringing.
The fear of success can hold you back in a big way, preventing you from moving forward in your life no matter how much you want to. Maybe it’s not the ‘success’ that has you crawling away under your bed; maybe it’s the connotation of it and the changes it would bring to your life.
Maybe you’re used to playing in the background and being successful will thrust you into the limelight. Maybe you’re scared of gaining new responsibilities. Maybe you’ve spent your whole life racing to get to the top of that mountain and when you’re finally there, you don’t know what else is left for you to do.
But here’s what you can do: If success does come to you, just ride it out! Don’t worry about what’s to come and live life like it’s your last day. Or you will end up regretting it. Isn’t that a whole lot scarier?
It might be difficult to branch out of your comfort zone but when the time comes, you’ll come to realise that it’s a lot more painful to sit in your own shadow than it is to step into your power. Hence, the quote by Anaïs Nin:
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
So forget about everything else and keep your eyes on that goal. It’s yours. You know it is.
*Cover image via 123rf