We often think of fear of failure as the main culprit to us not achieving our goals and dreams. But there’s an equally evil fear that pervades our society - especially amongst high achieving folks (ironically).
Fear of success.
Say what, now?! Who on earth would be scared of success? Well, while fear of failure is often very conscious (we can catch ourselves doubting our abilities or achievements), fear of success can be very unconscious. In fact, you might unwittingly and unknowingly sabotage your own efforts and plans to achieve your goals and dreams. Indeed, you might only realise 6 to 12 months later (or worse 10 years later!).
And you will wonder - where did all the time go?
And what progress do I have to show for it?
So where does fear of success come from?
Maybe thinking people won’t like you if you succeed and get everything you ever wanted. They’ll resent you, even if you worked hard for it.
Or maybe you’ll then have to dream even bigger or you’ll get landed with even more responsibilities and work and targets… and you’re already exhausted.
Or perhaps a belief that you’ll change - that you won’t be you anymore.
Or even that if you get everything you want, there’ll be nothing left to look forward to in life.
But the problem is… if the fear of success is so unconscious - how do you catch it?
The lie your mind tells you
So often fear of success shows up as “busyness”. In all the things we do for other people that help to keep us where we currently are: safe. We say - “I’m too busy”, “I don’t have time”, “I have too many commitments”, “I couldn’t possibly take on more”. We fill our days and our nights, our weeks, months and years with lots of little tasks that keep us busy today, but don’t help us grow, develop and succeed for the future. We use “I’m too busy” to procrastinate and avoid, instead of just speaking our truth and owning that we don’t want to do something.
It keeps us safe, oh yes. But safe isn’t the same as happy.
Because when you’re doing something for yourself and your future, something that you truly believe in and decide you are worth and deserve… you don’t feel busy. You feel at ease and in flow. You feel peace.
What is truly possible?
Imagine if success didn’t mean you had to dream and achieve bigger, but instead gave you the opportunity to achieve differently. To achieve deeper… to experience fun, freedom and fulfilment.
It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? Being happy.
I know - it’s a hard path to choose. Because I myself had to decide recently if I would continue working and being busy, or give myself the time I needed to follow my true path and passion and do something not just for my future - but for many other people’s too. To take 6 weeks to build a brand new course that gives people confidence to lead change end-to-end.
I did it. My Leading Successful Change program opened up last Friday, the registration period is very short, and the invitation is exclusive to those people who joined my Change Tools Masterclass or are already signed up to my mailing list.
There’s been a lot to do over the past 6 weeks … and I’ve loved it. I carved time out to carve my own path and inspire others to carve theirs. And as I reflect - these 6 weeks haven’t been busy. But they sure have been happy.
The things we make time for
There’s a great saying I heard on a podcast recently: “We only have time for the things we make time for.”
So I made the time to create the Leading Successful Change program for you.
Will you make the time to join me?
Lata Hamilton is a Change Leadership expert who is passionate about helping others build their change leadership future. Her Leading Successful Change program is currently open for registrations for a very limited time: register for the Change Masterclass replays here to learn more about the course.