Thanks for commenting, Derek!

You’re right, it really sounds weird: “I’m afraid of what might come from being successful.” Almost like an invitation for a whack upside the head.

But it is indeed real. There are speculations on the source of this fear and one possibility even includes childhood experiences with bullies who pick on kids who gain attention for stellar performance.

Whatever the source, getting over fear of success isn’t unlike getting over fear of failure.

I know I’ve got a fear of succeeding, but always thought it was so weird…

Growing up, I saw men that were defined by their success/income, and was subconsciously afraid to succeed, because I didn’t want the life-sucking career…

Thanks for posting about a sensitive topic!

Hi TheAndySan,

I applaud you for taking action and moving in a direction that you believe can provide value to others as well as reward yourself.

You may already have written out a very specific definition of “sustainable income to live comfortably”. If not, I strongly encourage you to do it. I’ve found that the more specific I can be about my goals, the more specific I can tailor my actions and base my decisions.

Wishing you success,
Jane Chin

I recently found your blog from Finance Your Freedom’s post about you. I think it’s great that you’re following your passions instead of scrambling for security like the rest of the world.

After reading The 4-Hour Workweek, I decided to take a risk and quit my job at Wal-Mart. I never really liked that job to begin with, but I got it because I wanted to make money and was afraid that my parents would kick me out if I didn’t have a job.

I want to start my own online social network/search engine of recipes. I know that there’s a strong market for that sort of thing, and I would like to give them a platform on which to share their ideas with the world. I would also like to make a living from this as well.

My overall goal is to generate a sustainable income from my businesses to at least allow me to comfortably live on my own while consuming less and less of my time.

TheAndySan
http://www.theandysan.com

Karen,

You bring up an interesting discussion. How are women “socialized” or perhaps conditioned to fear success? Are women equally socialized/conditioned to fear failure?

I think that fear of success v. fear of failure may have similar origins (motivated by “lack” or “not enough”). However, how each fear manifests over the course of one’s life can look very different. I’m curious about whether a fear of success in a man looks different from a fear of success in a woman.

Or – is self-sabotage gender-blind?

Jane

Whether it is fear of first failure or fear of subsequent failures, I believe that the ultimate failure is the “failure to try”, because this is a failure you will wonder about and regret for decades to come.