To hesitate is not necessarily a bad thing.   Usually, when a person hesitates, it is from wanting to be certain that they have not missed some critical step in the process of evaluating anticipated actions.

But, if you find that you are not moving forward because of a strong sense of “dread or doom”, this is most likely not from just being cautious – it is more likely because you are afraid of what might happen next. 

Some people are truly afraid of success.  I once had a person openly admit to me that he was petrified that he was about to become successful.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to become successful or that he was actually afraid of the benefits of success.  As we continued to talk more about his concerns, it became clear that he had a fear of change, not success.  He had grown very comfortable with his economic situation, even though he was not happy with it.  He had become adapted to his situation so much so that he was then comfortable dealing with all that it represented.

He was finally able to state his fear openly.  He asked me,  “If I take this next step and it works, what will my future be like and how will I handle all that I would have to manage then?”

Consider the dictionary definition of fear: “A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.”

An even easier definition to relate to could be “The anticipation of the possibility that something unpleasant will soon occur.”

A very simple, practical, and often overlooked solution to this problem is to just discuss your concerns with someone whose opinions you trust.  Just the mere act of verbalizing your fears will begin to place you in a position of control over them.  Once you have openly acknowledged your fears, write them down and consider various ways to begin to address them.  Your plan of action should definitely contain steps and procedures that will eliminate or minimize all of your fears as much as possible.

Also, an excellent option for handling fears is to design or incorporate their elimination into your actions as you go forward.  As an example, I once had a client who had made some horrible financial errors early in his career and because of all of his resulting bad experiences, just the thought of having to discuss financial matters would throw him into a near panic state.

He was very successful in his marketing efforts and could usually discuss financial matters very well and with perfect clarity of thought.  But, if he were to be placed into a position where he had to personally handle even the most mundane of financial matters,  he literally would become a “basket case”.  His solution was that he partnered with someone who relieved him of the types of financial responsibilities that he could not handle.

The fear of failure or success can hold you back from your ultimate goals, so find ways to deal with them if you can.  If you need extra assistance, seek it out because there will always be obstacles in your path until you learn how to avoid them or eliminate them as you move toward your success.

This article was written by SDK Hunter Consulting Group