Fear of Success

Many of us have heard of the fear of failure, the concept of which is easy to understand. We are conditioned to fear failure from early childhood as a way to encourage hard work and success. However, there is also a phenomenon in the fear of success: a fear that prevents people from standing up and speaking out for themselves, or from actually putting forth the effort and risking their current way of life for a potentially better outcome. Many would much rather adhere to the status quo than actually risking their egos and their livelihoods on what-ifs; it’s certainly easier than the alternative.

For those that choose to be productive and ambitious, though, there are certainly discouraging factors. These hard workers can find their efforts undermined by coworkers or even bosses that do not like that someone is being a little too ambitious. Joshua Ferris’ “Then We Came to the End” tells the story of a group of overpaid corporate workers in the advertising industry during the beginning of downsizing. Told in the first-person plural “we,” the narrative adds an air of inclusiveness and anonymity to the thoughts and actions of the whole group. The narrators tend to snipe at any members that choose to do their jobs and perform admirably, such as Joe Pope. Joe Pope is the standard hardworking individual who just wants to do his job while he’s there, rather than gossip, and he is shunned by his coworkers for doing so. Not only do they fear success, they fear the success of others – so much so that they will, at the least, badmouth them and, at the most, sabotage them and their efforts to be successful themselves. These characters and their responses have foundations in reality.

The fear of success is what often keeps people from pursuing their actual dreams. Rather than, say, going to nursing school or moving to India, office workers tend to stay sedentary. It’s safer, after all, to not risk that guaranteed paycheck or potentially trigger emotional and financial instability within the family. To perform the basic tasks required to keep a job requires much less effort and much less stress than that brought on by risking it all over an unknown. However, the dissatisfaction felt because they continue to labour in a workplace that they do not enjoy is often taken out on their coworkers – in addition to friends, families, and pets. Rather than striving to achieve the American Dream, many choose not to “rock the boat” of a nice, tidy income and a nice, tidy home life that consists of a shared mortgage, a couple of kids, and a dog.

In addition to the avoidance of taking risks, people tend to fear change. Really, it’s with good reason: when you have an image or reputation to uphold, often one tied into the ever-elusive American Dream, you are far less comfortable taking risks that may change it. The risks and uncertainty that start out making you feel uncomfortable grow in your mind until they terrify you. Martin Zwilling of Forbes has explored this phenomenon as well. He states that these fears often masquerade “as a somewhat less embarrassing, equally deadly, ‘fear of failure’” (Zwilling). He goes on to state that those failures people are so afraid of are actually required for growth. In making this argument, Zwilling urges people to take the chance anyway, despite the fear.

Conventional wisdom has it that fear of failure is far easier to rationalize to peers and to loved ones than fear of success; many would much rather continue to just squeak by than risk a change of lifestyle that may fail. Worse yet, once you’ve begun to raise the bar, it’s nearly impossible to go back; those newly-raised expectations are harder to hide from. The thought that any decision they make may require them to actually perform additional work in order to survive or succeed may, then, discourage them from attempting to pass that certification exam or apply for that promotion. It’s fear of success, but also fear of having to work hard to maintain the new responsibilities and new image that comes with that new success.

It’s not impossible to change your mindset and overcome these fears; often, it just requires saying “yes” and being willing to put yourself out there regardless of insecurities telling you that it’s a bad idea. Slow down and realize that it’s okay to tell people yes or no sometimes, even if it makes you uncomfortable.  It’s okay to be ambitious and reach for new tiers of success. Take a leap of faith and trust that you are strong enough to succeed.

~Andrea Harsma 

Works Cited

Cain, Molly. "5 Ways To Conquer Your Fear Of Failure." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 23 Apr.

2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.

Ferris, Joshua. Then We Came to the End: A Novel. New York: Little, Brown and, 2007. Print.

Zwilling, Martin. "Why Some Entrepreneurs Undermine Their Own Success." Forbes. Forbes

Magazine, 13 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.