Are you subconsciously scared of success?

So, last Tuesday was Halloween, and for some it was all about dressing up, playing spooky games and getting the kids out Trick or Treating! For others, it was all about hiding behind a cushion on the sofa with a bucket of popcorn and a really scary movie!  

But whatever Halloween means to you, it got me thinking about ‘scary stuff’ and how it’s strange that mostly we are all scared of something, but usually very different things!

I don’t like spiders for example. I’m also not great with heights. For you it might be ghosts, rats, zombies….or it could be exams, failure or even success!

Yes, I did just say that you might be scared of success! I know it sounds strange but it’s actually really common and in fact quite natural.

So often, people are scared to simply take the next step in their business or in their lives. Most attribute this to being scared of failing or being scared of changing, moving out of their comfort zone. But for most people what it actually comes down to is that they are petrified of being successful!

You can tell if this is you by really looking at how you act and think when it comes to your business. For example, do you distract yourself with meaningless tasks instead of getting on and being proactive?

You might worry about what people think of you or see those who are already successful as being greedy!

Perhaps you speak badly of others who have done well and you may be the master of self-sabotage – when you do fail you say: “I didn’t want that anyway!”

You might even worry that success will change you into a different person!  

To be honest, all this sounds far scarier than ghouls, ghosts, witches and spiders to me! So, if you recognise these traits in you, grab a pen and paper right now and quickly write down all the things that your fear of success is stopping you from achieving.

Once you’ve done that – and actually recognised that this is what’s holding you back, then you can start to overcome it!

When you experience doubts, or have thoughts such as those I’ve talked about already, remind yourself of all the extra resources success will bring you:

A big confidence boost

A more powerful network

A healthier bank balance!

An amazing reputation that opens even more doors

And importantly, instead of thinking about change in terms of losing your old self and becoming a different person, think of it in terms of discovering a whole new you! You might even like it!