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I Used to Think the Fear of Success Was Silly. Not Anymore.
My personal very nonmedical advice on dealing with this real fear
I don’t remember exactly when I first heard of someone being afraid of success, but I remember scoffing at the idea. How could someone feel anything but happiness about their successes? Growing up in a family soaked in silent misery, and because I hated that fatalism, the idea of anyone resisting success seemed daft to me.
Not any more. I am successful now, and now I know what people mean when they talk about having difficulties dealing with success.
Now, to be fair, I’m not a raging success. I’m not famous. I’m not a millionaire. I’m not beloved by millions. But I have, through hard work, persistence, and the immense help of my spouse, reached a really good place in life. I have the life I had dreamed of for so long. I have a job I love that pays the bills but leaves me enough time to pursue research and writing. I work remotely (even before the pandemic), which means I can live anywhere I want. So I do, in my favorite city in the world, Prague. I am very happily married with my soulmate, have a solid career, love where I live, have several years of savings in the bank — and yet, I feel anxious far too often.
