Comments on: Are You Afraid of Success?

By: The Hardest Part of Your Job Search | Get That Job!

The Hardest Part of Your Job Search | Get That Job! — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:55:55 +0000

[...] Are You Afraid of Success? (jibberjobber.com) [...]

By: Jason Alba

Jason Alba — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:57:03 +0000

@Melissa, my new goal is to write something that will leave you speechless p

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:21:23 +0000

Wow, Jason. Reading this leaves me speechless (which doesn’t happen much!) It is making me ponder a lot — I was actually the kid who did great in school, and I think I did alright in my choices I made when in nonprofit. But, have I been getting in my way as I walk on this new path? Maybe. Probably.

I need to make that saying my mantra.

By: Jason Alba

Jason Alba — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:14:11 +0000

Thanks for the comments all. I have thought about this topic for years as I’ve seen people step away from doing what they can or should do, and the only reason I could come up with is perhaps they were afraid of what would really happen if they did succeed. Looks like I’m not alone in this realization :p

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:58:37 +0000

Fear of success is one of those concepts I’ve heard about for years and never can quite get my mind around. Maybe that’s a sign I should pay more attention to it. (Though my first reaction is, “Hmph, it’s never come close enough to scare me.”)

20+ years of shooting myself in the foot, though, that I can relate to. More years than that, if I get in a reflective and hemlock-sipping mood.

By: Julie Walraven | Resume Services

Julie Walraven | Resume Services — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:34:06 +0000

Man, Jason, you could be writing to me! You know that I am turning things topsy-turvy this year but for years, I sabotaged my own success. Hanging on to trying to be too many people to too many things… and not focusing on the area that I have the most expertise in. 2010 is different. I still have much work to do to eradicate 20+ years of shooting myself in the foot… but each day opens a new door.

Wishing you blessings and success in 2010!

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:20:20 +0000

You have made a really good point. The really sad thing is that often this fear of success attacks people who really need it.

It’s not as though this fear is always obvious, either. It can take the form of not filling out the paperwork on time, or not following up with an e-mail after an interview. The person might not even realize that he’s afraid, telling himself that he didn’t fill in that form because he was busy with his child or that he couldn’t find the interviewer’s business card. Meanwhile, the truth is a form doesn’t take that long to fill out and he could have found that business card had he just looked an extra minute.

Thank you for this blog post. It reminds us to be honest with ourselves.

By: Juli Monroe

Juli Monroe — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:36:36 +0000

Interesting timing, Jason. I struggled last year. I’m still struggling this year, but there are some very bright spots in front of me. I think this may be the year my business finally takes off. And yeah, that scares the hell out of me. Just a couple of minutes ago, I was sitting in my basement: exhilarated and terrified at the same time. Then I come up and see this post in my Twitter stream. Okay, I get the message.

Scared or not, working to be successful is a heck of a lot more fun than being depressed about failure. So I guess I’ll just have to make it big, won’t I?