The 7 Biggest Fears That Can Hold You Back From Success

1. The fear of inadequacy

One of the biggest fears that can stop you from being successful is the fear of inadequacy.

You need to let go of the feeling of not having what it takes to be successful, and retrain your mind to thinking you are unique, special, has potentials and can be successful if you put your mind to work.

You may think you are not skilled or knowledgeable enough, but until you let go of the fear of inadequacy, you won't want to take the first step of asking questions like " Is it possible to achieve this dream of mine?", " what important first steps can I take?" " Who else has done this? etc. Since you are already convinced you are up to no good.

2. Fear of failure 

It's seems to make sense to want to keep what you have and not loose it, but making sacrifice and taking risk are two essential ingredient for success.

The reason is this:  opportunities don't always come knocking it often comes disguised as work. Successful people have had to make sacrifices and taken some kind of risk in the attempt to create the success they crave.

The fear of failure is one of the most common reason why people refuse to take bold steps that can transform their lives and career.

They don't want to risk what they've already earned. But as logical as that seems you need to take some risk for what you feel strongly about, for your dreams and aspirations. Disappointments, shame etc are only opportunities to learn and grow.

There is no straight path to success. It's littered with mistakes and failures. Successful people fail forward, they learn from their failures and their desire to succeed is greater than their fear of failure.

3. The fear of uncertainty

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. -- Robert Frost(The Road Not Taken)

What if I'm are making the wrong decision?  How can I be so sure I won't regret this?

These are questions that can arise due to the fear of uncertainty. Of course these are reasonable questions to ask. But successful people know that they don't have  control over every thing but that doesn't stop them, instead they focus on themselves and work on their advantages.

According to Adam's Smith, who is a life coach and motivational speaker , "Anticipating what will happen in the future is a strength that can be developed, and it will help you take the first step when you experience the fear of uncertainty," he explains.

He adds: "And vision is what will keep you moving forward regardless of your fears. In whatever you do, anticipation and vision are both necessary ingredients to fight the fear of uncertainty."

4. The fear of being judged

The fear of being judged has caused many to resign to a carbon copy life. It keeps you from fully expressing and exploiting your potentials.

The truth is no matter what you do, what you say or how you look,  you would always be judged by someone. Would you rather be judged as a failure or be criticized on the ground of wanting to achieve more.

When you become afraid to stand up for your dreams and aspirations again, ask yourself - What if you did succeed? What if is the best decision you ever made?

People are willing to wish their opinion upon you if you allow them.

If you want to be successful you've got to be ready to do what all successful person  do - ignoring those who look down on their dreams and aspirations,  some people would want you to believe you don't deserve it.

Who cares if a few people roll their eyes and judge you if a few more people are truly inspired by your uniqueness?

6. Fear of change

Things change all the time but one thing is always constant : change.

The fear of change stops us from taking action. It often works with anxiety, self-doubt and guilt.

The world is ever evolving and full of  opportunities we would never take advantage of unless we are ready to be flexible and comfortable in uncomfortable.

The path to success is not a straight one, so get ready to always change something.

7. The fear of success

This also works against success. You know you have the ability to pull off a specific task, but you still don’t do it, probably because you don’t want to be burdened by the pressure of future expectations by others or that you fear success will bring loneliness or you question your worthiness of success, there are several reasons why people are afraid of success.

Don't harbour this fear or it will sabotage your efforts to accomplish your dreams and aspirations.

What does success means to you? What are your most lofty dreams? It could be anyone. Why not be you? You absolutely deserve it.