What Is Really Holding You Back?

When business owners think about self-limiting beliefs, it is often the fear of failure that comes to mind. However, is that what’s really holding you back? Many times, it is our fears of change and obligation that may be hindering our own development. In other words, it may be your fear of success that is restricting your journey towards a fruitful life, rather than your fear of failure.

Authors such as John C. Maxwell have written about the idea of using failure as a process for learning. In his book Failing Forward, Maxwell explains that by learning a new definition of failure and changing your response to it, failure is not something to be afraid of, but rather something to embrace, accept, and from which to gain clarity. He explains that we need to grasp the positive benefits of negative experiences, and in doing so, we are directed towards that which is more suitable and often times, more beneficial for us.

With this new wave of embracing failure, many business owners can attest to the fact that they may have been onto their third or fourth business before they succeeded in the space of entrepreneurship. The question among this common acceptance of failure is now, whether our fear has shifted to a fear of success.

Many business owners are afraid of success, and they just don’t realise it. By taking note of this consciously, we may start to identify little habits or actions (or non-actions), indicating that we may be self-sabotaging our efforts. Lack of motivation to complete work or working extra slowly, creating beautiful, detailed marketing plans and not actually doing any of the checklist items, not showing up at key moments because we were knocked down by a wave of anxiety, or simply putting it down to procrastination and insecurity, are all signs that you are afraid of achieving your goals as a person and as a business owner.

If these habits are ringing true for you, you may be asking yourself how you could possibly be afraid of success. Isn’t success everyone’s ideal? You need to look deeper into what success means for you to understand your subconscious motives for self-sabotage. By confronting yourself directly with this question, you may be surprised at what you find.

Success may mean that you will have to change and move out of your comfort zone. Consider writing a best seller. This may have detrimental effects on someone who does not like to speak in public. Once your book hits best seller status, others may ask you to do talks about your story. They may even ask you to be interviewed on live camera.

What about if you finish your degree? The one that has taken you six or seven years to ‘almost’ complete. Will this mean that you will have to leave your job – the one that you love – to gain experience in your area of studies? 

What will you have to change if your business is outstandingly successful? If the answer to that fills you with anxiety, it may be your fear of success that is holding you back, rather than your fear of failure. Identifying this and consciously addressing it may be the answer to the blockages you face. Blockages that only you can remove.