The fear of failure makes sense. We don’t want to put ourselves out there only to come up short. But a fear of success is just as limiting and we must have the confidence to show up anyway.
We know we were created for something great and we pour our blood, sweat, and tears into accomplishing it.
And we’re quite familiar with the fear of failure. What if our best is not good enough?
We acknowledge these fears and work hard not to let them deter us. And to be sure, naming fears and bringing them into the light helps us not to be overcome by them.
This is certainly true for our less acknowledged fears of success.
The fear of success comes in our shift from dreaming to doing.
To want something, and even fighting diligently for it, is not the same as it finally arriving and putting all our talk into action.
This may be similar to the performance anxiety of athletes, entertainers, and public speakers.
There often remains an underlying anxiety (the butterflies) before a big performance despite the many hours of preparation beforehand. And if unacknowledged these fears can become a showstopper.
While not isolated to a particular event, when our success arrives it’s show time and we might also experience the jitters. We now have to show up and can no longer hide behind the curtain of preparation.
And if this fear remains unacknowledged we might unconsciously sabotage ourselves – finding ways to continually postpone our opening performance.
But our calling is too important and the fears are likely confirming we’re on the right track.
Remember God has brought you this far and he will see you through.
Acknowledge your fears and show up anyway.
Photo by TJ Dragotta on Unsplash
