I recently spoke with friends about the things that hold us back as women. We often hear about fear of failure, but I had experienced something else.
When I was promoted to become part of the executive team, I was truly excited about what this opportunity meant for my career. I knew that great things would happen for me professionally. I would be stretched and challenged in new ways.
But, for some reason, I often carried this quiet feeling of excitement mixed with dread.
It took me a while but I finally understood that what I was experiencing was a fear of success.
Fear that I wasn’t ready for what would be required of me in this new role.
Fear that I might not be up for the challenge.
Fear of the things I had not yet learned.
Fear of success can also be caused by fear of how we will be seen by others, fear of leaving our old lives (and perhaps people) behind, or even fear of who we will need to become.
When we are faced with an opportunity to grow, it requires us to step into a bigger version of ourselves and that can be scary.
If fear of success is holding you back, here are a few tips to help you navigate through it.
- Without judgment, ask yourself what you are afraid of. There is power in naming it.
- Envision what your life will be like if you successfully achieved your goals.
- Reframe what you’re telling yourself into something more empowering.
- Remind yourself of a recent example of how you took on something new and nailed it!
Step into that newer, bolder, courageous version of yourself!