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There’s no doubt about it: fear holds people back. Period. Fear is
probably one of the most important obstacles to overcome in order to be
successful. "Fear of what?" you may ask. Fear of failure (you
probably guessed that one) and fear of success.
Fear of success???
Absolutely! People fear success because there is a lot of pressure to
stay at the top when they get there, and there is the feeling that they
don’t deserve what they’ve achieved; someone will eventually discover
that fact and it will all go away. I saw an interview of Chevy Chase last
night and he said that most of the celebrities he’s ever known feel like
someone will "discover" that they really have no talent after
all.
I think that a lot of people get to a certain level of success and stay
there because they just don’t feel comfortable at a higher level. In
retrospect, I think that may have happened to me and caused me to sort of
slack off when I got to a comfortable income level. Looking back I
actually felt a little fear at the idea of making more money than I
already was, and it held me back.
People fear failure because their self-esteem is too tied-up in what
they are doing. If they fail then they are somehow diminished and less of
a person. And, they are concerned about what others will think if they
make a mistake or if something isn’t perfect because they depend on the
approval of others in order to feel good about themselves
When you are afraid, you go into a protective mode that includes, but
is not limited to:
1. Giving up too easily. You can’t be
good at what you do if you give up too easily. Some things just have to
be hammered-on repeatedly until you get the results you want. Fear of
failure is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because when you give up too
easily failure is almost assured. Weird how that works, don’t you
think?
2. Not trying at all. Sometimes fearful
people won’t even try. If it’s something new, forget it! How can you
get the best out of yourself and others if you don’t even try? And how
can you innovate if you don’t try new things?
3. Anger. When your fear manifests itself
as anger, very bad things happen. You alienate your family, friends, and
employees. And, you become unpleasant to be around, which is a good way
to lose customers.
4. Overcompensation. Instead of getting
angry, some people overcompensate. By that I mean that they are so
afraid that they will make a mistake that they will go overboard to make
sure that they don’t, wasting time, money, and other resources.
So what’s the cure? Self-confidence. That’s easy to
say but hard to get. The good news is that books and tapes are out there
that will help you. Find them. Study them.
Constantly remind yourself that nothing worthwhile happens
without some failure along the way. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re
not trying hard enough. Besides, you can never completely fail because, in
your attempt, you succeeded in overcoming the fear of failing.
If you have to be afraid of something, be afraid of being
afraid. Nothing will kill your dream faster.
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