Fear of Success

Jun28
2012 16 Comments Written by danonleadership

I listened to a John Maxwell’s audio training where he taught about the topic of self image and reaching your dreams. This is what he said,

When your dreams exceed your self image you will sabotage yourself and never reach your dream. When you’re going to strive to do something that is higher than how you think of yourself as you start to go toward that dream you will do something stupid to sabotage yourself and keep yourself from having that dream.

If you can’t truthfully and inwardly see yourself achieving your dream then you never will achieve it. Not because you can’t but because yourself image will always pull you back about the moment when you’re ready to have success in your life.

After hearing this I captured it on Evernote and I have been thinking about it for a couple of weeks. If we want to be successful and reach our potential and dreams then it requires having a high self image. The word self image is defined as “the idea, conception, or mental image one has of oneself.” This shows our self image starts on the inside. How we think and see ourselves on the inside is then manifested through our actions and behaviors. This then produces a positive or negative outcome. To help you increase your self image and avoid the fear of success then remember to:

Speak your desired image- The words we speak have power. They can raise or lower our self image. When you speak the “person” and “image” you desire to become, those words subconsciously enter your life and produce what it is you want. This requires being deliberate in the words and thoughts you have.

Implement acts of courage- If you stretch outside of your comfort zone and see positive results, your confidence and self image will increase. Joe Lalonde, a friend and fellow blogger wrote an insightful post titled What Can Twenty Seconds of Insane Courage Do for You? I encourage you to read it then apply the principle into your life.

Apply these points into your life and leadership to help you become more successful and reach your dreams.

Question: What do you do to increase your confidence and self image?

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  • http://www.jasonvana.com Jason Vana

    I used to have a terrible self image. To correct it, I did what you mentioned above, it the biggest thing I did was to seek out in scriptures what God said about me. It wasn’t easy to believe at first, but after speaking it over myself multiple times, I began to see myself in a new light.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      I also use to have a bad self image. Reading and thinking about Bible passages is such an essential way to build a strong self image. Thank you for sharing.

  • Bernard Haynes

    I began speaking who God says I am over my life. I have about 15 affirmations that speak over my life daily to confirm who God say I am and what He say I can do. It has really encourage me to step out and do some things that I thought was impossible. I still have struggles with this, but I continue to speak over life even when I don’t feel it.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Bernard,

      I think a lot of people struggle in this area. Having daily “affirmations” is a great way to maintain a high self image. Thank you for adding to the discussion.

  • Floyd Samons

    To remain confident and calm I remind myself that God is in control. If I seek first the kingdom of God, the other things will be appointed unto us.

    Moving forward has never been an issue for me, moving forward and seeing too much of my self or seeing too much of me in my self image has been my weakness. I think like most things, it’s a fine line between not enough and too much self image.

    Very interesting subject… I’ll enjoy talking more with you about it hopefully next week!

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Floyd,

      Great point about keeping the “kingdom of God first” it’s such an important thing to do. Looking forward to meeting you. Let me know if Wed. or Thur. would work best and then I will make sure I’m free. Thank you for reading and comment.

  • http://www.lifeofasteward.com Loren Pinilis

    We are, after all, created in the image of God – so in that respect, our self-image should be very high. It’s amazing to me: the way we look at God and the way we look at ourselves affects everything, EVERYTHING, in our lives.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      I think we often forget that we have been made in “the image of God.” It’s amazing what happens with our self esteem when we read and believe the truths of God found in the Bible. Thanks for sharing.

  • http://talesofwork.com/ kimanzi constable

    This is one I stil struggle with Dan, so I really appreciate this post!

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Ditto about that. At least we are still moving forward and working to have and maintain a high self image. Let’s keep moving forward bro!

  • http://deuceology.wordpress.com Larry Carter

    In turn, since words have power, we should be careful what we say to our children.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Larry,

      So very true. It’s amazing to hear some of the things people say to or around their children(or other children). I think an entire book could be written on the subject of being careful in what we say around children. Thank you for adding to the conversation.

  • http://www.lincolnparks.com Lincoln Parks

    Hey Dan about your blog contact Lee Glass @ networkgooder.com he is a guru. He does this for a living and is a great web developer.

    Now to stretch myself I have goals that make me cry. If they are not strong enough its easy to back out. So I keep those in mind when I get discouraged . It helps me to push through and keep going.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Thanks bro, I’ll connect with him.

      Having big goals in front of us is so important. It keeps us moving forward. Thank you for reading and sharing.

  • http://www.danerickson.net/ Dan Erickson

    Thanks for sharing this, Dan. One thing I’m discovering as I get older is that my dreams of success and my self-image are one in the same. In other words, success doesn’t matter in regard to my self-image. Whether I succeed (based on the material definition of success) is not important if I’m being true to myself, really who I am. Yet, I feel the more honest I become as an individual, the more likely success will come. Actually, it’s already here.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Dan,

      I think it requires wisdom to know and understand the importance of a high self image. It’s all about being true to our self’s. It’s great to hear your seeing success. Thank you for reading and commenting.