Be Afraid

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.