Most people dream of being successful as adults when they’re a child, but as we grow older, we learn that this isn’t so simple. We face many challenges along the way, but ironically, two of the biggest are being scared of both success and failure. Thankfully, it’s never too late to combat this fear and start moving toward your goals, so if you recognize the traits in this list, it’s time to overcome your fear of success and failure.
Procrastinating Important Tasks
As Sue Scott explains via LinkedIn, when deadlines loom, delaying tasks becomes a common habit if you’re scared of success and failure. This avoidance tactic often stems from the fear of not meeting expectations or, paradoxically, fear of the success that might follow. By putting off important tasks, you keep yourself in a comfort zone, avoiding both failure and success.
Downplaying Your Achievements
If you frequently brush off compliments or minimize your successes, it could indicate an underlying fear, such as imposter syndrome. This behavior may stem from discomfort with the attention success brings or the pressure to maintain high standards. Acknowledging and celebrating your achievements is crucial for overcoming this fear–you can start with the little things and build up from there.
Setting Unrealistic Goals
A lot of people are counterproductive in their dreams for success as they set unrealistic goals for themselves. Initially, these might be genuine dreams, but over time, they only serve as a convenient excuse for failure. By setting the bar too high, you ensure that success remains out of reach, thus avoiding the responsibility or expectations that might come with it.
Constantly Seeking Approval
When you rely too heavily on others’ validation, this is a classic sign that you’re insecure about your own decisions and goals for success. Ironically, this need for approval can paralyze progress, as you hesitate to take risks without external reassurance.
Perfectionism
Nothing stunts success and leads to failure quite like perfectionism. Striving to be perfect is impossible, yet you might be using it as a mask for deeper fears. It creates a barrier to starting or completing tasks, as nothing ever feels good enough, leading to a mindset that will keep you feeling stuck, preventing both potential failure and success and turning your life stagnant.
Sabotaging Success
Undermining your own success, whether consciously or unconsciously, reveals a fear of the changes success might bring. This self-sabotage can manifest in various ways, including missing deadlines and neglecting responsibilities. Recognizing and addressing these patterns is essential for allowing yourself to fully embrace success.
Avoiding New Opportunities
Another trait that reveals you’re afraid of success and failure is turning down new challenges or opportunities in a self-destructive act of self-preservation. Whether it’s the fear of failing at something new or the pressure of succeeding and then having to keep up, avoiding opportunities limits growth and reinforces your fears. At the end of the day, the only person who cares about your failures is you, so step out of your comfort zone.
Overanalyzing Decisions
It’s common for people to endlessly analyze potential outcomes in the face of success or failure, leading to decision paralysis. This tendency to overthink is often driven by fear of making the wrong choice, either failing or succeeding too much. To combat this, you need to learn to make decisions confidently and accept the uncertainty that comes with them.
Making Excuses
People often make excuses for why something didn’t happen to cover up deeper fears. By justifying a lack of progress or success, you protect yourself from the potential discomfort of recognizing failure—or the pressures of success. Try to acknowledge and confront the real reasons behind these excuses, and you’ll soon be moving forward.
Resisting Change
When you cling to the familiar, even when it’s not serving you, it suggests a crippling fear of the unknown. Success often requires embracing change, and there’s no denying that this can be intimidating, but resisting it will only prevent you from moving forward. After all, the only constant in life is change.
Fear of Judgment
Another trait that sabotages your success and turns it into failure is worrying excessively about others’ opinions. This fear of judgment may prevent you from taking risks, trying new things, or putting yourself out there. Overcoming this fear involves focusing more on your own values and goals than on others’ perceptions and recognizing that, at the end of the day, people really don’t care what you do.
Reluctance to Delegate
Believe it or not, a lot of people who fear success and failure take on too much work in the form of self-sabotage. Furthermore, they’ll refuse to delegate, avoiding the risk of someone else not meeting their standards or succeeding where they might not. Ironically, though, this lack of trust is far more damaging than delegating ever could be.
Avoiding Feedback
Nobody likes to receive harsh criticism, but shying away from feedback, whether positive or negative, often reflects a fear of facing the truth. Constructive criticism can feel threatening, while praise might raise expectations you’re afraid you can’t meet. Either way, seeking and embracing feedback helps you grow and overcome these fears, leading to more balanced success.
Excessive Planning
Don’t be fooled into thinking that spending more time planning than acting will get you somewhere in life. In fact, it’s a subconscious and counterproductive sign of fear, as detailed plans can give the illusion of control, helping you avoid the risks of both failure and success. While planning is important, action is what ultimately leads to growth.
Fear of Commitment
Many people who are afraid of success and failure actively avoid long-term commitments in their personal and professional lives. Commitment can bring responsibility, expectations, and the potential for both failure and success. Regardless, it’s important to embrace these commitments with a flexible mindset, as they’ll no doubt open up new possibilities.
Lack of Follow-Through
It’s all too common for people who are scared of success and failure to start projects but fail to complete them. This behavior keeps you in a state of perpetual potential without the risks of actual outcomes, which is far more destructive than it may sound. If this sounds familiar to you, you need to start developing discipline and seeing projects through to the end, and you’ll eventually overcome your fears.
Comparing Yourself to Others
Unfortunately, the power of social media has made it very common for people to constantly measure their progress against others, triggering a fear of both success and failure. They always feel behind, even when they’re not, just because of the carefully curated social media posts they see online. Just ignore all of this stuff; it’s inauthentic and unrealistic, and by eliminating it from your life, you’ll no doubt have a healthier relationship with success.
Self-Doubt
Above all, persistent self-doubt is one of the underlying problems that cause you to hesitate before taking action. This doubt often stems from a fear of not being able to handle success or failure. We’re sorry to say that the only way out of this is to build self-confidence and learn to trust your abilities, and while not impossible, this will take a lot of hard work, a change of mindset, and potentially some professional support.