By Judy Young

I’ve heard people say that the biggest thing holding most of us back is the fear of success. And honestly? Every time I heard that, I kind of laughed inside. I thought it was a ridiculous idea.

I mean, why on earth would anyone be afraid of success? It made no sense to me. I dismissed it completely.

But over the years, I’ve thought about it more. And now? I see it differently. I still don’t think it’s success we’re afraid of. I think it’s what might happen after success—failing once we’ve “made it,” looking foolish, not being able to handle it, or losing everything and feeling humiliated.

At least, that’s what it’s been for me. And maybe that rings true for you, too?

And the good news is—that fear? That’s something we can work with.

Think about this: is there anything in your life that you once thought you could never do—but then, to your surprise, you did it? And maybe you were even good at it?

That’s happened to me more than a few times. I’ve taken cake decorating classes and realized they weren’t nearly as hard as I expected. I’ve done tons of crafty projects and ended up with results that were beautiful—things I never would have guessed I could create!

What I’ve found is this: most things are absolutely doable when you take the time to learn, step by step. I’ve even taught my best friend’s mom all sorts of things on the computer. And even though she’d say, “I can’t do this,” moments later—she was doing it! It’s not ability we lack most of the time—it’s confidence. It’s the fear of the unknown that trips us up.

So if the idea of running a successful business on your own scares you—like it’s scared me—here’s what I’ll say: get help. Find a mentor. Take a class. Partner with someone. Ask questions. Find a cheerleader. Someone has already done the thing you want to do. You don’t have to start from scratch. And you definitely don’t have to do it alone.

If someone else has done it, then you can too.

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