Why are we afraid of success?
As odd as it may seem to some, many out there are ‘afraid’ of succeeding – in fact, pretty much everyone out there is afraid of everything that exists (and of everything that doesn’t exist as well – thanks to superstition and organized religion) – but that is a rant for another day…
In my humble observation, people primarily fear success because:
1. Success is almost always indicative of (or catalyzed by) ‘change’. Change is a very scary concept – because it forces folks out of their comfort zones and demands a higher level of awareness, intelligence, agility, ability, credibility, responsibility etc. Change introduces ‘unknown elements’ into our existence – and we’re already terrified of all the things we know; how, pray, are we going to deal with those that we don’t?
2. Success almost always puts one in the lime-light. The star, the icon, the role-model is now under pressure to make magic happen again and again…The pressure sometimes becomes unbearable – and unless one is constantly seeking the best from within, even the smallest of successes can quickly turn into a devastating curse…
3. Success almost always requires re-prioritization and re-invention – many people tend to box themselves into dogmas and attitudes and habits — and quickly find themselves victims of their own biases and self-imposed limitations – re-invention is an uphill battle…
4. Success demands a much higher level of discipline and confidence than average – for every one person that loves you, there will be ten that will challenge you, and ten more that will outright hate you – often times, people lack the resolve and confidence to face personal, intellectual, and emotional challenges head-on – and tend to choose the easier path of least resistance…the discipline requirement: time, relationships etc. – another can of worms!…
5. Success almost always brings you at a level playing field with ‘above-average’ folks — it is harder to stay up there than it is to get there — many lack the courage, vision, and persistence required to ’stay’ successful…
and for my favorite observation of them all:
6. Success almost always traces its beginnings back to a DREAM – a big, fantastic, unreal, exaggerated, dream – and many out there are afraid to dream…that, also, is a rant for another day…
On a lighter note, many fear to tread on the ‘road to success’ simply because it is rumoured that ‘Cess’ is an ugly, old, obese, dirty, hermit who’s been living for many hundreds of years in solitary confinement – waiting for some fool to show up looking for the ‘ways to suc-cess’…
