The Fear of Success – A Roadblock to Starting an Online Business

The fear of success is a common fear among beginning online marketers. It seems counter intuitive that anyone would fear moving forward in life and achieving their goals and life-long dreams. What rational, thinking person would be afraid to succeed? The fear of success is not obvious for that very reason. Since many people cannot imagine that they would fear their own greatness, they often don’t recognize the signs of the fear of success and continue to sabotage themselves. People often go through life not knowing why they are not getting what they want out of life. This subtle fear is one of the many roadblocks that can hinder the success of an online entrepreneur. This article is a look at why we fear our success and some solutions to overcome this fear.

Problem 1: We fear that we will achieve the goal we want only to be unsatisfied or empty after the goal is achieved. After a goal is accomplished, there can be a feeling of aimlessness. You think, “Now what?” The completion of a goal can sometimes feel like being slammed into a brick wall.

Solution: Focus on progression instead of perfection. Set up mini tasks and goals. Another strategy is to focus on the person you are becoming in pursuit of that goal. In other words, focus on self-development while working towards your goals.

Problem 2: We fear that our success will earn negative criticism from our loved ones. The desire to fit in or to belong is one of the hallmarks of human nature. We are generally social creatures. Acceptance from family and friends is important and plays a crucial part in human behavior. Wanting to bond with another human being is quite natural. In the effort to keep those bonds, people sometimes find themselves in situations they loathe but tolerate. For example, some people choose career paths not because they care about that particular field but because they just want to make loved ones happy. Understand that people can sometimes take your success as an insult to themselves. The real issue is that you are doing something that magnifies their own mediocrity or unwillingness to live life courageously. This jealousy lends itself to subsequent criticism.

Solution: When dealing with loved ones, there is just no easy solution. People who are emotionally invested in others, especially parents, may find themselves in conflict with you. One way to deal with them is to share neutral information about your life leaving out the parts about online marketing and being successful at it. Probably the best coping mechanism in your arsenal is knowledge. Knowing that jealousy and envy can come from one’s own insecurities and self-esteem issues can put things into perspective. Ironically, you fear being isolated from loved ones when they, in fact, fear that your success will take you away from them. The fear, resentment, or jealousy that other people have can manifest itself in the form of criticism.

Understanding the fear of success and ways to overcome it is necessary to develop a winning mindset to starting an online business and for long-term success.