For as long as I’ve been aware of myself, metaphysically speaking, I’ve been conscious of the existence a fear-influenced duality of thought in my mind, which is responsible for my paralysis when attempting to move forward with goals. It causes me to think so much about my next steps that I develop a mild headache and desire nothing more than to lie down, go to sleep, and wake up hoping that the fear has moved on. It is so paralyzing that I devolve from the determined, confident person that I have become back into the apprehensive, insecure person that I was. This is more than fear of failure, though.
I could move forward if I were simply afraid that I might fail. I am no longer worried about fulfilling the dreams of others, or disappointing the people who had so much hope for me. Now, the realization that my life is based on my successes is my motivation to persevere. If I do not pursue my dreams with the ferocity of a predator on its prey, I will not succeed. My happiness is directly linked to my success. It is a causal loop that has been set to iterate ad infinitum. I have to succeed, and, yet, I’m scared. What happens if I do get the job? I’m going to be partly, if even on the smallest of scales, responsible for the success of an entire brand. If I do well, I’ll get even more responsibility. Can I keep producing good work? I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder in my own life.
When there is nothing to inspire you to get motivated, where do you look? Some people say “haters” inspire them to succeed. These are the people whose life goal it is to bring you down to their level or lower because they don’t think you deserve your success. Still others are motivated by the prospect of succeeding. I want to meet these people and ask them, “Why aren’t you afraid that once you do well, you’ll have to keep doing well?” No one can predict the future. They cannot know that they will continue to thrive in their chosen profession. When you do things well, people rarely notice. Break that pattern, though, and it’s all they can talk about. The only way to prevent negative attention is to keep succeeding, but that develops into perfectionism. If perfection and success cannot be guaranteed from every attempt, why try? Avoiding success equals less expectation. Less expectation equals less pressure to do well. The decrease in pressure results in less tension and headache, which leads to happiness, right? Wrong. It leads to mediocrity.
The pursuit of happiness cannot occur on the road of mediocrity. The road may be paved with a zero incline but reaching happiness more quickly will not give you greater satisfaction. Further, the happiness you reach is likely an illusion because mediocrity seeks just enough of everything. If you desire all the happiness you want from life, you must run around potholes, climb steeply-inclining paths, and beat back a few branches.
How are you going to find the happiness you seek if you don’t get on the right road?
Chanelle Schneider -- Daily Venus Diva.
“I’ve been conscious of the existence a fear-influenced duality of thought in my mind, which is responsible for my paralysis when attempting to move forward with goals. It causes me to think so much about my next steps that I develop a mild headache and desire nothing more than to lie down, go to sleep, and wake up hoping that the fear has moved on.”
This happens to me all the time but I don’t see it as fear. I see it as anxiety.
But I suppose it can be fear..
Rainer, I never thought of it that way. I too have thought of similar feelings as nothing more than anxiety but I do believe the two go hand and hand. I am curious to know what people feel is the difference between the two.
I’ve always associated anxiety with a feeling that comes on suddenly and goes away. This fear of success can be a form of anxiety in the way that multiple symptoms are attributed to anxiety disorders, but, for me, it does not encompass all that anxiety is. The fear stays, returning each time there is a new task that can lead to success. In the past, I was so afraid that I would completely not do something. It’s not that I would get past the anxiety and do it, I would really never do it. Lol
I really don’t think it’s fear.
I just think that when trying to reach our goals we think too much into the future instead of taking it one day at a time and that simply overwhelms us.
When I start setting goals for myself, all of the sudden I want to do everything at the same time and this is when it happens.
I get a horrible headache and anxiety kicks in. I start to feel depressed and I’m a compulsive eater too thanks to that but I’ve been trying to control it.
I do sleep my stress, depression and anxiety away.
I do feel fear about some things though, like I might make a mistake so I rather not take the risk.
I’m afraid to be myself and do what I really want to do sometimes.
“I do feel fear about some things though, like I might make a mistake so I rather not take the risk.
I’m afraid to be myself and do what I really want to do sometimes.”
That part there was the exact intent of the post. It was to discuss the fear that paralyzes and prevents action, the very action that would lead to success.
Yeah, sorry.
While commenting my head was spinning. lol
I felt a rush coming on like I was thinking too much about it.
LOL…no problem.