Are You Afraid of Success
Take Our Quiz to See if You Might be Sabotaging Your Own Success
You’re thinking, Are you crazy? Why would I be afraid of success? Silly as it may sound, some of us have difficulty realizing our goals simply because there’s some subconscious fear of what might happen once we become successful. Maybe you’re afraid that success would change your life more than you’d like, alter fulfilling relationships, or introduce new difficulties you’d rather avoid. Could this fear be what’s preventing you from moving forward? Take this short quiz to see if you might be sabotaging your own success.
Are you easily distracted from projects that would help you become more successful?You have a handful of potential clients who would improve your roster and your bottom line. But of course you need to take some kind of action first; potential clients don’t usually burst through your door, begging for your time and attention – typically they require some coaxing. If you’d just make a lunch appointment, email them your newsletter, or call to see how they’re doing they might make that change and become full-fledged clients. So what’s holding you back? You need to clean your office first, organize your files, or clean out your inbox.
When you become easily distracted from tasks that could make you more successful, chance are you’re avoiding potential success or maybe even potential failure. Regardless of the reason, the behavior is holding you back. The best course of action would be to, cliché we know, feel the fear and do it anyway.
Do you feel you’ve lost somehow when someone you know achieves success?Intellectually you can recognize that it’s really not a contest; someone else’s success doesn’t lessen your potential to succeed. But knowing that doesn’t eliminate those envious feelings you might have when you see someone else moving ahead, realizing their dreams.
If you recognize a tendency to feel threatened by someone else’s success you should go out of your way to congratulate that person, even if you have to feign happiness for them. Then take some action to move forward on your own dreams. After some practice those congratulatory comments will become more genuine and you’ll find yourself celebrating the success of others while taking action to advance your own success.
Do you feel uncomfortable when someone compliments you?In Japan it’s customary to wave away compliments, saying things like “it’s not true,” or “I’m not really smart/pretty/talented…” This is their way of showing humility. And while we may not have that custom in the states, we do have a tendency to either verbally disregard complements (“…it was nothing” or “…it wasn’t that hard”) or to mentally disregard them (“…they didn’t mean that” or “…it wasn’t a big deal”). But can you imagine Donald Trump or Oprah Winfrey responding that way? No.
We do ourselves an incredible disservice when we don’t just smile and say “thank you” when complimented. And if you catch yourself doing any negative self-talk, make a conscious effort to stop it. Most successful people are comfortable with their achievements and can gracefully accept compliments. Begin practicing today!
Do you procrastinate moving forward because you believe there’s more you can do to prepare?I have a friend who won’t go to graduate school until she’s better “prepared.” What that requires, I’m not sure. Chances are she’s not even sure. Unfortunately, she’ll probably never feel “ready” for graduate school and consequently will never realize that dream of earning her master’s degree.
There’s always more you can do to prepare for success, and that’s what makes this obstacle so sinister, because you can forever prepare and never more forward. Make a deal with yourself and continue to prepare as you take the necessary action to accomplish your dreams.
Do you jump into projects without doing any research or preparation?This is the opposite from the above, but equaling damaging. Sometimes we sabotage our efforts by jumping into a project without doing any preparation, often dooming ourselves to failure. Move forward with caution. Do the necessary research and determine crucial tasks that must be completed in order to succeed.
Do you avoid opportunities to advance?Sounds crazy but there are individuals who fear promotional opportunities and subconsciously avoid the chance to advance. This can manifest itself in different ways. Perhaps you haven’t gotten that certification you’ve considered. Perhaps you’ve been missing key conferences and workshops that would give you more tools of the trade. Or perhaps you’ve avoided enrolling in programs that will help you become even better at you do. These things can be just as damaging to your career as looking a boss in the eye and saying “No thanks” to a raise accompanied with an increase in responsibility.
Sit down and list those things you’ve considered doing to advance your career. Then pick just one, resolve to start working it on this week, and get busy!
UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program Can Help You SucceedIf you’ve been avoiding the opportunity to expand your business, here’s one simple thing you can do to stop sabotaging your success and move forward in your resolve to fulfill your dreams. Universal Accounting Center ’s Professional Bookkeeper Program can help you expand your business by offering more services to current clients while increasing your appeal to potential clients. This will enable you to work year-round, providing you with the financial and professional freedom you’ve dreamed about. But if enrolling in the program is a tad intimidating, there’s something else you can do to ease into the idea. For just $9.95 you can order the DVD “Introduction to the Professional Bookkeeper Program” to learn more. It’s simple, easy, and will inform you on what it takes to succeed at becoming a full-service financial provider. Stop procrastinating today! Success is waiting.
