This month I finally hit my 30’s. And for that one day, I was ecstatic. And then the fear sets in. First the fear that I’m not where I want to be (but who ever is?) So I have a rational talk with myself in the mirror to remind myself that life is all about the journey and that so far I’ve been blessed to be on a pretty good road.
As I continue my days, some amazing things have happened. My business has picked up at a pretty awesome pace. I’ve been praying for an influx of new clientele, bigger projects, etc. I’ve been networking more, and pushing more content. I’ve been engaging more with people and really working to build solid relationships. So I’m doing all the right things and they are paying off. And then my next stage of fear set in – The fear of SUCCESS.
This is the most irrational fear, I know. But it is a very real fear, and it often paralyzes us from accomplishing the goals we set out for ourselves. This fear can:
• Keep you from reaching your full potential by allowing you to doubt your own skills and abilities
• Stop you from enjoying the “wins” in your life (recognition, completed projects, awards, etc.)
• Cause feeling of guilt or anxiety
• Allow you to become self-sabotaging or a victim in your own eyes
• Cause a lack of motivation to complete the goals you have been working on (and accomplishing)
I had to take some time to remind myself that it’s not only “ok” to enjoy the success I’m having, but it’s a great thing! Just like with anything else in life, you have ups and downs. You hope as you go through these stages that you don’t sink to new levels of low but that you do rise to new levels of high. So, as they say – seize the moment! If you are having a run of success, run it all the way out! Get what you can out of this time period in your life.
I won’t go into any ways to overcome this fear. Just as I had to think this through, just remember, if you have worked hard on your professionalism, you education, you work ethic, your network, your character…you probably deserve to have the success you are seeing. Live in it!