Big Enemy Within: Fear of Success
The biggest risk is not taking one at all.
Is there such thing as a risk-free life? A simple and short answer would be no. Life is about risk. If you focus on playing it safe then you are never going to have much in life.
Over the years I have realized that most people remain stagnant, or even backslide, due to harboring the fear of success. It’s doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that failure is a very easy process that requires little to no effort to achieve the desired result. Success, on the contrary, is a very uncomfortable journey; if you don’t want discomfort then don’t pursue success.
When was the last time you took a risk to achieve something extraordinary in your life, and how did it feel? I’m certain it was an uncomfortable feeling with a pleasant result… for me, at least. The road to success is always under construction.
I have talked to some people in the past whom I asked about their biggest fear — aside from losing a loved one, shocking to know that most of the responses were “the fear of being broke”. They felt comfortable and more secure in the vacuum of putting away money in the bank, or into a retirement account, rather than taking calculated risks on a new and unconventional investment opportunity. Well, there is nothing wrong with such a recipe if all you aim for is average. Still, suffice to say that many of them were actually suffering from the fear of success rather than failure. Don’t worry, I was just like you before. It’s better late than never!
The two friends I met in my journey to success, or better still in my pursuit of happiness, were Fortitude and Faith. I made turning back — after starting a new project — not an option. If you are heading somewhere and always turned back then you can never get there. Right? True. We all have our turn-back moments but fortitude and faith would see you through if you embrace them. “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” — Rabindranath Tagore.
Let me tell you a short story about my life and journey to success. I had lost my job and life was becoming challenging and depressing. I knew it was time to challenge myself, leave my comfort zone, take risks just to feel more alive, and experience life for what it was. I started looking for a change in my career, so I started searching for good business opportunities to invest my hard-earned money and watch it grow. I had tried different businesses, from e-commerce to drop shipping, but all to no avail. However, my breakthrough came the day I ran into an old friend of mine who introduced me to an investment opportunity with an international brokerage house TruimphFX. Long story short, I took the risk to invest in something I had never done — considering the fact that I'm frugal by nature — and I’m so glad I broke the shackles of fear that had kept me bound for so long.
I had published this story a while back, so if you are interested check it out.
Money may not buy you happiness, but it certainly will buy you a lot of conveniences. — Chinese Proverb
