Women In Business - Are You Afraid of Success?

Logically, why would anyone be afraid of success? Isn’t success the “gold medal” that every businessperson is aiming toward? Believe it or not, locked in our brain are memories about achieving, or not achieving, success that unconsciously work to encourage or discourage our willingness to succeed.

Our unconscious mind remembers everything. There was an interesting study done by brain research pioneer Wilder Penfield about memory. In his study Penfield discovered that everything we’ve ever felt, sensed, done or experienced is still recorded somewhere within our brains. He concluded that our minds store everything that has occurred during our lives.

Let me repeat that – “Our minds store everything that has occurred during our lives.” Why is that important? Everything you were told, shown or experienced regarding success, especially your ability to achieve success, is stored somewhere within your brain. The positives and negatives of success are stored in your brain as memories and feelings just waiting to resurface in your life today.

Our growing up role models had a strong and powerful influence on our memories. If while growing up you heard negative things about “the filthy rich,” or “you’ll never amount to anything,” or “success never lasts,” then know that those words remain in your unconscious mind – in your memory today.

How does that affect you as an adult? Your childhood memories are a part of your adult success mindset. Your unconscious mind believes whatever you believe to be factual and truthful. For example, if in moments of indecisiveness your inner voice is saying, “You’ll never amount to anything,” how willing do you think you’ll be to attend a new networking group, return a phone call that could lead to a new project or write that best selling book?

Do you think you are afraid of success? Here are some questions that can give you insight into your “success memories.” Answer with your first “gut” instinct – don’t over think these questions.

1. As you were growing up and you achieved something of which you were proud, what did your growing up role models say to you? Were they encouraging and proud or neutral and may be even discouraging?

2. Today as an adult, when someone compliments you on a success, what is your initial reaction and how do you reply to the compliment?

3. Do you write goals and then often lose interest in them?

4. Have you ever started to succeed and then for no good reason stopped yourself from continuing to go forward?

5. In your life today, who is the most successful person you know personally? This person should be someone you know well enough to call and invite to lunch. Are you comfortable with their success? I’m reminded of this quotation by Jim Rohn: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”


Your memories play a vital role in achieving success. Are your memories helping or hindering your successes? As an adult, you have the power to consciously reprogram and make peace with those memories that are no longer serving you. Today as an empowered woman in business, you have the power to create new “success” memories.