Brian Tracy explores why people sabotage themselves when success is within reach. Fear of change, losing friends, and added responsibility often trigger procrastination, lateness, and self-sabotage. He argues focusing on success's benefits and taking decisive action breaks the pattern.
Hello, I'm Brian Trasian. Today I want to ask you a question. Are you afraid of success? The symptoms are too common to ignore. You miss or are late to an important meeting. You start having arguments with key members your team. You say something inappropriate in a business meeting. You are edgy and people around you can't seem to do anything right. You may find yourself procrastinating in getting critical projects completed. These are symptoms of being afraid of success and of all the scary things that go bump in the night during Halloween. Perhaps nothing can haunt our career more than the fear of success. When we're afraid of success, we start becoming our own worst enemy. We may not even realize it. We can subconsciously undermine our success and attribute it to stress or the pressure of completing a major project. Now why would a motivated, ambitious, hard working, rational person like you be afraid of success? In many cases, the answer is so simple, it too is frightening. It is easier to fail than to be successful. Yep. It's easier to cruise through life than to achieve success. And as we get closer to achieving something significant, we can then become our own worst enemy. Face it, it's easier to binge watch a few episodes of your favorite television show than to hone up on that presentation. Watching a football game may be more appealing than reading a book on positive thinking. Postponing a meeting is easier to do than properly preparing for it. It's also easy to come up with rational reasons for our behavior when we fail. Life continues as it is. We can stay in our comfort zone. Success, on the other hand, challenges us. It pushes us and it exposes us to rejection. How are we going to manage this new success? I didn't say it was rational, but it is real. Success can be challenging and the closer you get to it, the harder it can be to achieve. Joggers, runners and cyclists can relate. It is often referred to as hitting the wall. It is at this point where you just don't feel you can go on. Successful athletes have learned to anticipate hitting the wall and prepare mentally and physically to break through it. We need to do the same in our business lives. We have to watch and prepare for the symptoms of being afraid of success. It is then we can better understand and face them beyond success being more challenging than failure. Being afraid of success can be rooted in other fears. First is the fear of change. We may be afraid of the changes success will bring to our lives or even to ourselves. It is as if we somehow lose control of our lives and who we are when we achieve success. Unless Your life is absolutely perfect right now. There's no reason to fear change. For some reason, many of us equate success with ruthlessness or compromising our ethics. This is just not the case. In fact, the longest lasting and most rewarding successes are rooted in integrity. We have a fear of losing friends and this is common but a bit irrational. If anything, success can help you boost your friendships and help in creating new ones. If you're afraid you will lose friends because they will be jealous of your success, you probably should question your choice of friends. Some enjoy the journey so much they fear ending the struggle. No fears. There is joy to be found in continued goal setting and success. You've heard the expression success breeds success. You should try it. We have a fear of more. Some people are so focused on simplifying life, their fear of success is rooted in a fear of adding more people, more responsibility, and more challenges. Success is for people who want more out of life. So be honest with yourself about these fears and ask yourself, what am I afraid of? Beyond recognizing the root cause of your fear, you can benefit by focusing on the benefits of success. These include improving your confidence and self esteem, creating opportunities for others, building financial independence, additional business opportunities, and personal growth. I spent a good portion of my life extolling the benefits of positive thinking and positive reinforcement. This reinforcement leaves less room for fear and combined with decisive action can help you break through your wall this Halloween season. Treat yourself to greater success. The trick is to not be afraid. Before we wrap up, I'd like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers. Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it now. I'd like to hear from you. So my question today is what fear holds you back the most? What fear holds you back the most? Leave a comment below and I be sure to follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now. 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