Fear of Success or Achievement Anxiety

The fear of success, also known as achievement anxiety, is a deep-rooted fear of achieving success or reaching your goals and something we see year in and year out. This fear can be expressed in various ways, including:

Self-Sabotage: A fear of success may have you engage in self-sabotaging behaviours such as procrastination, distraction, or avoiding tasks altogether. These can prevent you from achieving your goals.

Perfectionism: A fear of success may feel like pressure to perform perfectly or have unrealistic expectations of yourself. This can lead to fear of failure and ultimately undermine your chances of success.

Fear of Judgement: Fear of success can also be linked to fear of judgement.  You may fear being judged by others or may worry that success will lead to negative consequences, such as jealousy or resentment from others.

Feeling of being unworthy: You may have fear of success because you feel you do not deserve it or that your achievements such as certification will not live up to your own or others' expectations. This may be rooted in feelings of low self-esteem or imposter syndrome.

Discomfort with change: Achieving success often brings change and new opportunities, which can be uncomfortable if you fear the unknown and you may prefer to stay in your comfort zone.

How to overcome fear of success

Setting achievable small goals can be an effective way to overcome fear of success.  Setting and achieving small goals can build confidence and self-esteem, which can help reduce the fear of success. As you achieve small successes, you'll feel more capable and motivated to pursue bigger goals. Accomplishing small goals can create momentum, making it easier to tackle bigger goals. Success breeds success, and setting small achievable goals can help you gain momentum towards larger goals.

Fear of success can be linked to feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of a task or goal. Breaking down a larger goal into smaller, achievable goals can help reduce this feeling of overwhelm, making it easier to take action. Setting small achievable goals can also provide you with a sense of control over your progress and success. This can help reduce feelings of anxiety or fear of the unknown, as you will have a clear plan and pathway to follow.

Setting achievable small goals can be a powerful tool in overcoming fear of success as can tapping. By building confidence, creating momentum, reducing overwhelm, providing a sense of control, and increasing motivation, you can gradually work towards meeting your business goals. Fear of success can be expressed in a variety of ways. It can be a significant obstacle if you are working on building a sustainable EFT business that grows each year. Address these as you would any secondary gain and locating the origins which as we know often start in childhood.

Alina Frank is an EFT Master Trainer of Trainers, training and mentoring practitioners since 2006. Contributing author of 8 EFT books. Author of How to Want Sex: Using EFT to Rekindle Your Passion. Co-director of EFT MBA: Marketing and Business Academy for EFT Coaches www.eftmba.com Organizer of annual NW Tappers Gathering, raising over thousands of dollar for continuing EFT research. Matrix Reimprinting trainer since 2011. Producer of the Science of Tapping documentary. Director of EFT Relationship Coach Certification www.eftrelationshipcoach.com EFT and Matrix Training website www.efttappingtraining.com

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