Are you afraid to be successful? According to Martina Homer, women have a greater fear of success than men. There are both positive and negative things that come along with success. The key to managing your success in the healthiest way is to ensure the negative things don’t become a constant.
However, it’s fair to say that Homer’s reveals that the majority of women who fear success fear hypothetical consequences, such as loss of friends, loss of popularity or even loss of femininity. It’s important to remember that this fear is not the result of past experience, but it is named the way your mind tries to stop you from getting successful.
Your mind isn’t to blame; it only reacts to an existing situation. If your partner values their input to the household wealth, they might take your success as a personal affront. This is likely to generate an adverse reaction. Consequently, your mind prepares you for it by suggesting that your partner might be jealous of your results. The same argument can be adapted for women who are afraid of losing their friends, their femininity or even their popularity as a result of success. Ultimately, the fear of success is kept alive by the lack of positive support around you.
But what about women who don’t think they can become successful? In this case, the intrinsic fear that keeps you from moving your career forward is the fear of failure. Where does your fear of failing come from, and more importantly, how can you beat it?
You Don’t Give Yourself the Chance to Grow
Success will come if you deserve it, right?
Wrong! Success is an opportunity that might present itself throughout your life – don’t worry if you miss it; life is full of exciting possibilities. In other words, the first reason why you are talking yourself down is a lie: If you’re not successful today, it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be. It only means you have not yet seized any opportunity. You need to give yourself the chance to try out something new and to improve your experience.
Keep your eyes and your mind open to new possibilities. Don’t reject something that is new, try it instead. In other words, you need to be able to step out of your comfort zone, because success doesn’t come ringing your doorbell. It’s up to you to accept new challenges and explore your own path to success. Admittedly, it doesn’t mean you should say yes to everything that comes your way. You need to focus on who you want to be so that you don’t accidentally wander off track.
And finally, success is about doing your own thing, which is the most meaningful decision you can take. Consequently, there is no room for comparison, just because your path is different from others, it doesn’t mean you are going to fail.
You Don’t Know Where to Start
Success is not a matter of glory. Being successful is about being able to afford everything you need without worrying about the cost. For families, success is what it takes to parents to get their kids to a good school and pay for their college education. It’s about making sure that your children have all the chances to build their future. Education is the number one priority for parents. Vacations and hobbies are close behind, as they are perceived as activities that help to enhance the mind.
In short, if you’re a parent, it’s likely that being successful means having more money in your bank account. But it can be tricky to figure out how to build this kind of success. Do you choose to invest money? Do you change jobs? Do you ask for a loan? Escape The Rat Race is a handy website that tackles all these questions for you. It may not make you a millionaire, but you’ll receive handy tips to make money online, without even needing to receive training. If you’re looking to save money for family projects – or even for yourself – this is the place to check for ideas.
You Let Others Make You Feel Small
There are times when you feel small in front of others. Whether your boss criticizes your contribution and make you feel unappreciated, or your partner mocks your choices, feeling small is confusing. You find yourself wondering if your efforts matter, or if you mean anything to anyone. Unfortunately, feeling small can become a recurrent thing, around certain people or in specific situations.
Don’t let them take your spirit down. Instead, recognize that particular circumstances affect your mood. If you can ensure to spend less time with the people who belittle you, you can stop them from influencing your feelings. Additionally, something as simple as standing tall and smiling can trick your mind into thinking you’re happy — and eventually, you will also feel happy.
Getting out in the sun helps your body to recharge its batteries and clear up your mind so that you can reboot your day easily. You can also choose to do some good around you, such as volunteering in your community or donating something. Doing good makes you feel good about yourself. If you’re not sure you’re worth it, be generous with others, and you’ll soon review your impression.
You’re Not Sure Your Skills are Up to Date
Success can be synonym with professional achievement. Growing your career to the next level is often a necessary step in your path to success. However, moving your career forward takes efforts. Too many people refuse to apply for new positions because they’re worried they may not be able to perform – as a result, they often stay in their current role for too long and risk deskilling.
You need to boost your career constantly to learn new things and attract new responsibilities. But don’t expect your company to teach you the skills you need to be an attractive candidate. In fact, you need to go out of your way to gather and master the skills you need. You need to keep on learning to advance your career. Don’t worry, though, you don’t need to break the bank to keep your resume relevant. There are plenty of free classes around, such as Harvard University’s Introduction to Computer Science or a diploma in Social Media Marketing by Alison.
You’re Worried You’re Not Making the Right Impression
I can’t make it to the top: People don’t like me! Believe it or not, but a lot of people worry about how others perceive them. Making a good impression is essential in the business world when you get to meet partners, clients, and managers on a regular basis. The way you dress and the way you hold your body can make a great deal of difference in your career. But similarly, if you’re likely to get nervous, your behavior might affect your chances. So how do you make sure your master the art of a positive impression? By learning a few tips!
Picking conservative clothes in simple color can ensure that your appearance doesn’t distract your interlocutor from the message you’re conveying. Additionally, maintaining natural eye contact and allowing 1.5 feet of personal space help others to feel at ease with you.
You Don’t Know Anybody
How can you boost your career if you don’t know the right people? Of course, it’s an impossible challenge. But here’s the thing: Nobody knows the right people until they start networking. And you should do the same thing. Building a network of professionals can seem tricky if you’re naturally introverted, but there are tips to help you turn networking into something natural and mutually beneficial. In fact, don’t think as a network as a way to grow your popularity in your market. Think of it as a way to share your expertise and knowledge to make your network stronger, so that you can help others and build a reputation in the process.
You are Your Own Worst Enemy
Success is for others. You don’t think it’s the kind of things you could handle. In fact, when you think negatively about your abilities, you find yourself not being able to achieve anything. Success begins in your mind. With a positive attitude, you can achieve more, because you trust yourself to do so. You need to consider how your behavior affects your attitude. You need to act on a positive belief, such as believing you can manage a professional project at work, to ensure that you do everything in your power to prove your worth to yourself.
You Don’t Feel Strong Enough
With success, comes stress and responsibilities. Successful people build their mental strength to become able to handle the challenges that come with success. From meditation to spending more time with your family and friends, the stronger your mind is, the less likely you are to struggle with depression and anxiety disorders. Mental health is one of the key obstacles to success.
You Can Be Successful
It’s fair to say that, ultimately, your attitude, your thoughts, your refusal to leave your comfort zone or your lack of mental strength are self-inflicted obstacles to success. But thankfully, with hard work and some smart tips you can untie your wings and free your thoughts. You CAN be successful.
Are you needing some inspiration from bad-ass women? Check out my list here!
