CreativityThe 6 things that stop people writing
Part #004: Fear of Success
This last fear is one that can be the most debilitating. You’ve cracked all the other fears and finished your book. You may even have it printed and published … but it’s not selling and you’re struggling to promote it.
This is a fear that I have experienced first hand. The reason it hit me so hard was that when I was the most financially successful in my life with two businesses, this was when I was also the most stressed.
So I directly equate success with stress and used my creative mind to avoid success at all costs.
The signs that this is happening in your life are:
- You jump on to the next project without really finishing off the first
- You work on behalf of other people before you
- You become a ‘busy fool’
And I am proud to say I have all these T-shirts.
Strategies for Getting over the Fear of Success
1. Redefine what success means to you – it doesn’t have to be about the financials – being successful without the associated stress is a success in its own right
2. Book yourself a session with an EFT therapist – this session with the fabulous Penny Waite was what finally cleared my fear – see here
3. Celebrate !!!
… which reminds me, I need to do that for the publication of my book Blocks before I start the next
This the fourth in this short blog series on the six things that stop authors writing …
… you can see the first on Fear of Ridicule here here
… the second on Fear of Failure here
… the third on the Fear of the Unknown here
… the fifth on the Lack of Talent here
… the sixth on the Lack of Time here
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by CathRichardson: RT @thebookwright: Six things that stop authors writing no: 004 – The Fear of Success – http://bit.ly/an6XXT – pls RT…
I think deciding beforehand what success means to you is so important, so that you can recognise when you’ve got there – or when you’re following a path that takes you away from your personal idea of success. And we need to recognise that there are many different ways to get our work out there!
Spot on !!!
Thank you for mentioning your high money/success connection. I hadn’t thought of that as a source of my own fear of success. When I was at my income high, I was an adjunct professor of English, teaching writing courses at colleges around California. I had a mortgage, taught at several campuses (I was a “freeway flyer”), had little time for my own writing, but was making ends meet. I finally burned out of that “success” and went back to grad school (for me, a two year vacation) for an MFA in Screenwriting, which also meant a severe decrease in income.
Anyway, when I read your post, I realized I had the same fear, that by becoming financially abundant, I’d acquire all that stress again, which I do not want. Thank you for that realization.
As to the definition of success, I guess I equated it with financial abundance (as the realization just showed me), but I have also seen success as thoroughly enjoying my moment-by-moment activities, my purpose and goals of life, and so on.
Right now, I’m writing full time, having just published my latest book “Write That Nonfiction Book: The Whole Process” (available at quillifulpublications.com) and am getting back into blogging. So I love my daily activities. Now I just need the income flow to increase…
Thank you again for the realization!
Thanks Katie – let me know if you want me to review & shout about your book (sounds fab)
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[...] here … the third on the Fear of the Unknown here … the fourth on the Fear of Success here … the fifth on the Lack of Talent here … the sixth on the Lack of Time [...]