999 Why You're Afraid of Success (and How to Overcome That Fear)

“Don’t miss the moment because you’re thinking about everything that comes with it.”We all want to be successful, but many of us are actually afraid of what comes with success. On today's 5-minute Friday, Lewis explains the psychology behind that fear, and then prescribes four steps to embrace our triumphs and enjoy big moments. Mel Robbins: The “Secret” Mindset Habit to Building Confidence and Overcoming Scarcity: https://link.chtbl.com/970-podDr. Joe Dispenza on Healing the Body and Transforming the Mind: https://link.chtbl.com/715-podMaster Your Mind and Defy the Odds with David Goggins: https://link.chtbl.com/715-pod Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Lewis Howes?

  This is Five Minute Friday.

• 0:08Lewis Howes?

  I want to start this episode with a quote from Jon Stewart, who said, "I'm doing everything I can to sabotage my career. It's a little thing called fear of success." Now, we often talk about fear of failure, and even though Stewart may have been joking, at least on the surface, the fear of success is both real and potentially crippling. And here at the School of Greatness, we're on the cusp of a big, big milestone coming up. Our next episode is episode 1,000. Every time I question and ask people about their biggest fears, a lot of people say the fear of failure, but almost equally as many people say the fear of success. I could fear that I won't be able to continue the growth at this level.

• 0:51Lewis Howes?

  Okay, I've gotten to 1,000 episodes, but will I be able to continue to be relevant? You know, the bigger you get, more people might try to come after you or take you down. Am I ready for that? Success might come with extra pressure and extra responsibilities. Well, now I have to be perfect. The fear that it won't be as good as you hoped for. You know, you might not be able to hide in the excuses you've always made, or the defense mechanisms that you've always had. And I've identified four steps so you can face the fear of success and enjoy big moments in your life. So I want to get in step one. Don't worry about the outcome. This is huge, and it's so hard to do, because we set a goal of something we want to reach, but then we say, "Don't worry about the outcome. Be proud of the efforts."

• 1:36Lewis Howes?

  You're going to be so much more grateful and appreciative and take the pressure off of that moment. So get the stress out of that big, big goal looking a certain way. That's number one. Don't worry about the outcome. Number two, don't miss the moment because you're thinking too much about everything that comes with it. When you have a big speech, when you've got a book launch, when you've got a podcast launch, when you've got a business that you're launching, a product you're launching, be present. We've got this big moment coming up, and I want to soak it in. I want to soak in the whole week. I want to enjoy it. I want to appreciate it, and not just say, "Okay, we've reached it." On to the next, or it wasn't what I wanted it to be. So you've got to be present with the moment. Number three, trust the timing of where you're at. Understand that you're exactly where you need to be. This is hard, super hard.

• 2:21Lewis Howes?

  I remember when I was broke, sleeping on my sister's couch. I had a mentor in Columbus, Ohio, and I was like, man, I could really use some money right now. And he said, money comes to you when you're ready for it. And I was like, I feel like I'm really ready to make some money. And at that moment, I wasn't. I didn't have the skills, the tools, the knowledge, the wisdom on how to manage that success in that moment. So the right success comes to you when you're ready for it. That's what you've always got to be learning and growing, and trust the timing of your life. Number four, celebrate how far you've come, even if you're not where you want to be, even if the outcome isn't perfect, celebrate. Don't let the expectation of an outcome make you miss the moment. Make a memory out of a milestone. You can't be so caught up in moving forward.

• 3:05Lewis Howes?

  I hope these four steps will support you in your journey so that you don't have the fear of success, because it can cripple so many people from actually putting out their gift in the world. And you are too talented, my friend. You are too gifted. You are too powerful that you should never let the fear of success hold you back from putting out what you want in the world, from appreciating and enjoying how far you've come. You are too talented to let that hold you back. I'm so grateful that you're here. We are at episode 999 right now, and we're going to hit episode 1,000. We're doing something very special with this episode 1,000, so I hope you come back and listen. We're doing a big giveaway with some cash prizes, some iPhones, some iPads, some laptops, all that stuff.

• 3:51Lewis Howes?

  So come back so you can be a part of that contest, and we are doing something we've never done before. Make sure to subscribe to the School of Greatness on Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star rating and review if you can. Let us know your feedback on how we can make this better always, as that helps us spread the message of greatness to more people. And text the word PODCAST to 614-350-3960 to be notified of inspirational messages every single week from me. And I want to leave you with this quote from Nelson Mandela, who said, "Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead." And as always, you are loved, you are worthy, you matter. Know what time it is? Go out there and do something great. You