Small Business Owners: Do You Suffer From the Fear of Success?

What is the fear of success? Why would anyone be fearful of achieving their business goals? Are not more people fearful of failure?

Recently, I was interviewed by a local paper in Northwest Indiana. The reporter spoke to me about my expertise as business coach who quickly doubles results. From a previous interview, she knew that I had the clients to confirm that my solutions generated a positive return on investment (ROI).

During this second interview, she asked me what was the most common problem that I heard from my clients? My immediate response was the fear of success. I heard a quiet gasp. Then she asked me to explain.

I asked her to remember her early school days and how many of her classmates may have wanted to raise their hands to answer a question. Yet, most did not because they did not want to be teased about being the "know it all" or "the teacher’s pet." She then quietly responded: "I never thought of those experiences as being related to the fear of success." Yet, it is these very experiences that laid the foundation for the feat of success as an obstacle on the road to succcess.

As a small business owner have you ever asked yourself:

1. What happens if I get all of these proposals?

2. How am I going to make all of these deliveries if I get all those orders?

3. What happens if something goes wrong?

These are just 3 questions that indicate the fear of success is alive and well within you.

The fear of success prevents us from traveling the road to success. We become fearful of taking risks. Then the self-fulfilling prophecy kicks in supported by the weasel words of life such as would of, could of, maybe, think and might.

Napoleon Hill defined success as "coming to those who become success conscious." The fear of success directs your thoughts to expect failure instead of success. If you want your small business to grow, you must master success by allowing your thoughts "to think and grow rich."



Small Business Owners: Do You Suffer From the Fear of Success? - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.

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