While most people want success, many have a crippling fear of it. They might not know it, but certain actions they take subconsciously make it more challenging to achieve their goals. Here are 15 things people do when they’re secretly afraid of success.
1. They Procrastinate
One of the most common things people do when they’re afraid of success is procrastinate. For example, if someone has an opportunity for a promotion, they’ll put off getting their application done and instead waste time on unimportant tasks for their current job. Then, when they finally get it done, it won’t be to the best of their ability. By leaving things till the very end, they limit their chance of having success.
2. They Self-sabotage
People who are afraid of success will often engage in behaviors that undermine their own efforts to succeed. It’s a self-protection mechanism that many people do subconsciously. They might miss deadlines, get wasted before a job interview, or not prepare for a meeting. Although they’re probably not intentionally doing these things, these subconscious actions make it less likely for them to succeed.
3. They downplay their achievements.
If you’re afraid of success, you might not fully acknowledge your achievements. When most people achieve something big like running a marathon, they can’t wait to tell their loved ones. They’ll post about it on social media and text close friends and family to tell them about it. People who are afraid of success won’t find pride in their achievement—they won’t tell anyone about it, and if asked, they’ll downplay it as much as possible.
4. They avoid opportunities.
People with a fear of success will often avoid opportunities to elevate their status or career. They don’t apply for promotions because they’re worried about what others think, or they say no to more work because it could push them into a different tax bracket. It might be because of a fear of change that increased success could have on their lives.
5. They worry too much.
If you fear success, you probably worry too much about trivial things. You might stress over increased expectations or fear you might fail quickly after finding success. Most notably, people with a fear of success are always focused on possible negative outcomes rather than possible positive results. When they set a goal, they’re worried about what could happen if they fail rather than what they could achieve if they succeed. This mindset causes people to freeze and not attempt to improve their careers or hobbies.
6. They’re reluctant to set goals.
When you avoid setting clear goals for yourself in your personal and professional life, it’s a sign that you’re afraid of success. Setting big goals is scary, but necessary if you want to achieve success. When someone only sets small goals for themselves or no goals at all, it’s a sign they’re afraid of reaching their full potential.
7. They feel unworthy of success.
Part of being afraid of success is a self-esteem issue. Some people truly feel like they are not worthy of having success. These people won’t actively look to sabotage themselves, but they won’t put themselves in a position to succeed. At work, they’ll avoid speaking at meetings that could help them stand out to their bosses and earn promotions. They won’t actively pursue new career opportunities because they don’t think they could do better than what they’re doing now. They’ll get stuck in a rut because they don’t think they deserve anything better.
8. They don’t seize opportunities.
Part of having success is being ready to seize the moment. Opportunities often come when you least expect them—they don’t come when you’re actively applying to jobs, instead, they come when you’re comfortable and doing well at work and in life. For example, let’s say your boss comes to you with an extra task and implies it could set you up to earn a promotion. If you’re afraid of success, you won’t seize the opportunity, either freezing or telling your boss you’re too busy.
9. They don’t ask for help.
No one becomes successful without help, and help doesn’t come without asking for it. People who are afraid of success won’t ask for help for a variety of reasons. Some might be too embarrassed because they think they’ll look unintelligent asking for help. Others are too prideful and refuse to ask for help at work when they really need it. Regardless of your reasons, by not asking for help, you are limiting your chance of finding success.
10. They worry about what others think of them.
People who are afraid of success often obsess about what others think of them and how they’re perceived. Part of this is due to insecurities about how others will view them if they fail, and what will be expected of them if they succeed. They worry that if they fail, people will make fun of them. If they succeed, they worry that they’ll be asked to take on extra tasks at work that they don’t know they can complete competently.
11. They don’t confidently talk about their goals.
People who consistently find success confidently talk about their goals. They do so because there isn’t a doubt in their mind that they will achieve what they’ve set out to do. For example, they’ll tell their friends that they’re applying for a new high-paying job because they’re excited about it. People with a fear of success won’t tell anyone they’re applying for the job because they don’t want to tell anyone they didn’t get it if they’re rejected. Fear of success and fear of failure are often closely linked, and that’s the case here.
12. They start well but don’t finish.
If you have a fear of success, you probably do a good job of setting goals and starting them. You probably have a lot of excitement when you start and want to dive in. However, as you make progress towards your goals, you become less and less motivated. Your excitement dwindles, and eventually, you’re just going through the motions. You’ll get stuck on small tasks and do things poorly towards the end.
13. They think they need to be perfect to achieve their goals.
Many people who are afraid of success think they need to be perfect to achieve their goals. Part of the reason they think this is because everyone posts their achievements on social media. So, when someone with a fear of success sees these posts, they view them through a lens that only shows them at their best. They don’t see the failures that led to someone getting a promotion, running a marathon, or publishing a book. They only see them through the perfect pictures they’ve posted on social media. In reality, no one is perfect, and no one posts their failures on social media. Everyone makes mistakes on their path to success. People who are afraid of success don’t recognize this and never give themselves a chance to achieve their goals.
14. They let little things distract them.
Another thing people with a fear of success will do is let little things distract them. They’ll let little everyday things distract them from their goals because they feel overwhelmed by how they’ll need to change to reach those goals. They’re afraid they’re not good enough to achieve whatever they’re going for, so they get bogged down in unimportant tasks.
15. They’re afraid being successful could set unrealistic expectations.
Lastly, people who are afraid of success are scared that if they do succeed it is a fluke and other people will have unrealistic expectations for them. They have imposter syndrome and don’t think they could’ve succeeded based on their merits. So, rather than set expectations high, they’ll keep them low by not setting big goals.
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