fear

One of my favorite books on facing one’s fears is by Susan Jeffers, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. She’s also the author of Feel the Fear…and Beyond.

I got my copy, of all places, at an office supply store. Actually, it was the ideal place for me to find it because one of the greatest fears I battle is my fear of success.

Even realizing I feared professional success was a long, hard battle. I’ve discovered that many folks fear success much more readily than failure. It crops up countless times in the intuitive readings I give.

We’ve failed.  We know what failure feels like. We know how to cope with failure. We pick ourselves up, allow ourselves to gripe and groaned a bit, then set off again. We learn from our failures. And many progressing well along the spiritual path even come to think of those times not as failures at all but as challenges that we’ve met and overcome.

But SUCCESS…now’s there’s a new batch of willies.

Even when we’ve experienced success, even what some might consider grand and numerous successes, to stay focused and keep going forward often sets off debilitating signals in our brains and bodies. Fears tremble down our spines rendering us immobile. We stall. We become masters of procrastination. Or even worse, busy bees of searching, collecting, sorting, storing, and doing the unimportant and unnecessary. All as a guise to look like we are building up our resources to deliver our next success.

In other words, we sabotage our own best efforts. We suddenly, and often unconsciously, fear what comes next — the unknown changes success will bring to our lives and our relationships.

Success far more than failure forces us to change! And while we may want, enjoy and ultimately thrive meeting those changes, it upsets the relationship balance we currently have with friends and family. They, in turn, become fearful of new unknowns. What will you do now? Who will you attract and invite into your life? How will your relationship with them change? Will there still be room for them? Will you even want them in your life anymore? What if success ultimately hurts you? Will they be around to help pick you up and dust you off? Will they want to be there then?

Ah, so many fears to face when challenged by success.

Like a recovering alcoholic, who knows that to successfully manage his addiction takes a day-by-day, moment-to-moment commitment, I now face my fear of success each day and moment.  Some days I am more successful than others.  But I am committed to the journey, ready to face both the challenges and triumphs success brings.

What fears hold you back?

What do you choose to cling steadfastly to because you fear what change might bring?

JUST FOR TODAY, I encourage you to consider what fears you have that are keeping you from your achieving your greatest potential.

Choose one fear to face today. Feel it fully. Allow yourself to experience all the spine-tingling tremors that race down your back, that spin in circles in your mind, that cause your heart to alternatively pound and flutter.

Face one fear –commit to tackling it head on.

Do not try, for in trying you will feel the comfort and familiarity of failure.

BE the success that facing your fear creates.

Please consider sharing your thoughts, experiences and journeys by clicking the comment link below.

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