“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” — Dr. Seuss
Is the fear of failure holding you back?
Maybe not.
Maybe it’s actually the fear of success.
In The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven Pressfield writes about how we fear becoming who we truly are.
You’re Capable of More
What if we fear how unlimited we just might be?
Pressfield writes:
“We fear discovering more than we think we are. More than our parents/children/teachers think we are.
We fear that we actually possess the talent that our still, small voice tells us.”
Why Fear Success?
What if we succeed at becoming what we’re capable of, but we lose the people who thought they knew us?
Pressfield writes:
“We fear this because, if it’s true, then we become estranged from all we know. … We will lose our friends and family who will no longer recognize us.
We will wind up alone, in the cold void of starry space, with nothing and no one to hold on to.”
But is it really that bad?
Out with the old, in with the new, and some friends are forever.
Pressfield reveals a surprise:
“Of course, this is exactly what happens. But here’s the trick. We wind up in space, but not alone. Instead we are tapped into an unquenchable, undepletable, inexhaustible source of wisdom, consciousness, companionship.
Yeah, we lose friends. But we find friends too. And they’re better friends, truer friends. And we’re better and truer to them.”
Key Takeaways
Here are my key takeaways:
- That little voice inside that tells you that you’re capable of more is right.
- It’s a path of self-discovery that can sometimes be lonely.
- As you become who you’re really capable of, you’ll lose some friends, but find new ones.
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