In this new year, some companies will succeed and grow, while others will flounder and shrink. The difference between success and failure is often a factor of the company’s leadership, vision and drive. Certainly, there are real tangible issues that companies must address to grow, but there are also less tangible issues that can hold leaders back. “Fear of Success” is one of these intangible limiting factors.
While many business people are assertive and growth oriented, we see others who poke around the edges of growth opportunities, without committing themselves. We’ve often wondered why the less assertive don’t fully embrace growth – growth that we often believe (and advise them) is within their grasp if they’d just reach for it.
“Fear of Success” is often mistakenly identified
as insecurity, lack-of-focus or procrastination.
We all face barriers in our personal thinking that can hold us back from fully achieving maximum performance. Lurking below our consciousness, we may harbor reasons not to push harder for our own success, including:
- Fearing that success will change us, adding complexity to our life.
- Fearing that success will make us more visible to others – particularly our boss.
- Fear of being a “one-hit wonder” – not being able to top today’s success with more in the future.
But in cowering to these fears, we choose not to direct our own future, rather we let others blow the winds that set our direction.
Achieving success requires hard work and continued effort – which is mostly what separates the successful from everyone else. Yet when we break a sales threshold, ace a test, run a personal best in a race, or develop a new process that improves productivity, we gain immense personal satisfaction. Success is reaching beyond what had been our upper limit, it’s owning our own destiny and making a larger difference in our life and in those around us, it’s challenging ourselves to go farther.
Success begins when we feel slightly uncomfortable – as this is where personal growth starts. In 2018, we encourage you to break old habits, to take measured risks, to fully embrace new growth opportunities.
A wise man once said, “Make no small goals, for they fail to inspire.” At Studio/D, we wish you the fortitude to set ambitious goals for 2018, and we wish you success that exceeds your vision. Success is not to be feared, it’s something for which to strive. Make 2018 a break-out year for you and your company!
Studio/D’s PR services include pitching stories to industry publications, media training, content marketing, white papers, case studies, and crisis communications. To learn more, please contact Scott Dieckgraefe at 314-200-2630 or scott@StudioD.agency