Stuck From the Start
Giving up before you begin: The reason most people don't actualize their hopes and dreams.
Ideas for great new products, plans for your own business, wishes for a different life -- they all swirl around in your head.
It occupies your mind and your conversation practically every waking minute.
You might even jot down a few ideas on paper.
However, you do not implement your thoughts, instead idling at the gate.
Is it that deeply-rooted fear of failing that keeps you from succeeding, or could it be that mysterious fear of success that stands in your way? You'd be surprised at the number of people who fear success.
If you procrastinate while faced with a long term goal, you might be experiencing the fear of success.
Several psychologists have commented on the issue and tried to figure out the condition, but the main issue is this: Success is accompanied by change, and people are afraid of change.
Your subconscious mind already suspects that your goal will change your life in many ways, and has considered them.
Is your conscious mind in sync with your unconscious mind? That is where you should start.
What will happen if you succeed? Just ask yourself.
Consider it carefully and thoroughly.
Examine all of the side effects, large and little, of achieving your goal.
For instance, think about starting a new business.
You may have accomplished a major goal, but what happens when you no longer have a predictable paycheck and medical insurance? You become responsible for other employees even though you get to be your own boss.
Though you will have the opportunity to organize your daily schedule according to your own discretion, there is a chance that this is eventually even more time-consuming and may affect the amount time you're able to spend with friends and family.
Reaching new goals always requires compromises.
The formation of practical, emotional, logistical, and physical changes are the pros and cons.
Determine all possible outcomes of pursuing your goal, and note if negative outcomes are more likely than positive ones.
Once you realize this, you may either abandon your objective and change your goal, or deal with the possible negative outcomes and continue on your path.
If you realize that a goal probably wasn't wise, then giving up on it isn't failure.
This may be the best thing to do.
A test of your true character can sometimes mean looking at the problem very closely, and making a hard decision of cutting your losses.
Staying the course takes courage too! Begin by taking a look at the list of negatives when deciding to continue with a goal.
It's good to think positive, of course, but you may not realize that your subconscious is doing just the opposite, paralyzing you with fears or failures.
You must overcome these negatives by plowing through them full force.
Once you've identified what you really fear, which may not be success but the side effects of success, you can deal with each fear appropriately.
Some side effects can be simply eliminated, others will require work to resolve, and some will be intractable, but admitting you have a problem will loosen their hold on you.
If you don't keep the fear of success under control, you won't be able to reach your goals.
Not only will it limit how far you can go toward your goal, it may also limit your opportunities in personal situations.
This is simple behavior conditioning.
It is easy to make excuses to steer away from things you fear.
Putting things off, or not making time to 'take the bull by the horns' is typical.
On the other hand, fears tend to wither away under further examination.
Once you realize what your fears are and face them squarely, they will probably turn out to be much less serious than you thought.
Under scrutiny, they may fade away totally.
The next time you want to do something--whether start a new job, shed a few pounds, quit smoking, or anything else--spend some time thinking about your hoped for goal.
To do this, you need to shut your eyes and imagine yourself completing the goal.
What's different? What sacrifice have you made ? What causes you to feel uneasy? What are you scared by? Answering these questions not only reveals a great deal, but makes it easier to achieve the success you want.
Once you realize all the pros, and cons, of accomplishing your goal, you can get to work leaving all those fears behind you, even the fear of success.
Ideas for great new products, plans for your own business, wishes for a different life -- they all swirl around in your head.
It occupies your mind and your conversation practically every waking minute.
You might even jot down a few ideas on paper.
However, you do not implement your thoughts, instead idling at the gate.
Is it that deeply-rooted fear of failing that keeps you from succeeding, or could it be that mysterious fear of success that stands in your way? You'd be surprised at the number of people who fear success.
If you procrastinate while faced with a long term goal, you might be experiencing the fear of success.
Several psychologists have commented on the issue and tried to figure out the condition, but the main issue is this: Success is accompanied by change, and people are afraid of change.
Your subconscious mind already suspects that your goal will change your life in many ways, and has considered them.
Is your conscious mind in sync with your unconscious mind? That is where you should start.
What will happen if you succeed? Just ask yourself.
Consider it carefully and thoroughly.
Examine all of the side effects, large and little, of achieving your goal.
For instance, think about starting a new business.
You may have accomplished a major goal, but what happens when you no longer have a predictable paycheck and medical insurance? You become responsible for other employees even though you get to be your own boss.
Though you will have the opportunity to organize your daily schedule according to your own discretion, there is a chance that this is eventually even more time-consuming and may affect the amount time you're able to spend with friends and family.
Reaching new goals always requires compromises.
The formation of practical, emotional, logistical, and physical changes are the pros and cons.
Determine all possible outcomes of pursuing your goal, and note if negative outcomes are more likely than positive ones.
Once you realize this, you may either abandon your objective and change your goal, or deal with the possible negative outcomes and continue on your path.
If you realize that a goal probably wasn't wise, then giving up on it isn't failure.
This may be the best thing to do.
A test of your true character can sometimes mean looking at the problem very closely, and making a hard decision of cutting your losses.
Staying the course takes courage too! Begin by taking a look at the list of negatives when deciding to continue with a goal.
It's good to think positive, of course, but you may not realize that your subconscious is doing just the opposite, paralyzing you with fears or failures.
You must overcome these negatives by plowing through them full force.
Once you've identified what you really fear, which may not be success but the side effects of success, you can deal with each fear appropriately.
Some side effects can be simply eliminated, others will require work to resolve, and some will be intractable, but admitting you have a problem will loosen their hold on you.
If you don't keep the fear of success under control, you won't be able to reach your goals.
Not only will it limit how far you can go toward your goal, it may also limit your opportunities in personal situations.
This is simple behavior conditioning.
It is easy to make excuses to steer away from things you fear.
Putting things off, or not making time to 'take the bull by the horns' is typical.
On the other hand, fears tend to wither away under further examination.
Once you realize what your fears are and face them squarely, they will probably turn out to be much less serious than you thought.
Under scrutiny, they may fade away totally.
The next time you want to do something--whether start a new job, shed a few pounds, quit smoking, or anything else--spend some time thinking about your hoped for goal.
To do this, you need to shut your eyes and imagine yourself completing the goal.
What's different? What sacrifice have you made ? What causes you to feel uneasy? What are you scared by? Answering these questions not only reveals a great deal, but makes it easier to achieve the success you want.
Once you realize all the pros, and cons, of accomplishing your goal, you can get to work leaving all those fears behind you, even the fear of success.
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