Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Fear of Success

I just received this email from a guy who's a doctor and runs a coaching service for other doctors. Very clever fellow. But, I do have to say, I think he has a point.

I was reminded recently that deep inside we are all afraid of success. I don't mean some of us or even many of us. I mean all of us. We have been conditioned in our society to believe that the price of success is very high. We are always told the story of the struggling artist or the starving actor who finally made a big. And in the very next breath we are also told of the thousands and thousands of others who sacrificed just as much and never made it at all.

What do you think of when you think of success? Do you think about how much harder you will have to work? Do you think about sacrifice and loneliness and time away from those you love? If you do, you will probably never be successful. Anytime we associate pain or sacrifice with something, we tend to avoid that thing. Just ask any fat guy what he thinks about dieting and he will probably tell you about the pain and the sacrifice involved. On the other hand, when you talk to a thin person about dieting, he or she will probably say "what diet?" Most thin people associate pleasure with the good eating habits they have developed.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. A successful career or business is no good if you have to trade your soul for it. Instead, it should be built on a foundation of effective strategies and habits that become unconsciously simple with time. I am there, are you?

To get started on your own path to success, call me for more information.