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fear of failing

Is the fear of failing the greatest when just starting out or after a season of success?

While it is true that a fear of failing may discourage some folks from ever trying anything new, most people eventually do.

A more insidious form of fear comes when a person experiences success.  It may be the fear of having to sustain a level of effort required to maintain success.  It could be the fear of having to replicate a prior success but in a new environment (economy, personnel changes).  Often it is the fear of losing what took hard work to attain.

This fear of failing, rather than discouraging the first step, discourages the next step.  It leads to maintenance thinking — what must I/we do to keep the wheels rolling?

Here’s the irony: those who have taken the first step and experienced success should have a track record to fall back on.  Those who have never taken the first step are truly stepping out in faith.

If you find yourself paralyzed by success, get moving again!