Why do people fear success?"

On LinkedIn we have had a very good discussion of "Why do people fear success?"

My summary answer was that we do not necessarily have a fear of success until we've experienced success. Once that happens, there are many reasons to fear it, many of which have been pointed out in the 40+ responses.

But there is also and underlying problem. We probably were not be responding to the same thing; that is, what we mean by "success" probably was vastly different to begin with.

Below are a series of questions to ponder about the meaning of "success" and I hope to write about them more extensively on this blog.

Please feel free join in the discussion.

What do you mean by "success"?

1. When you describe yourself, do you claim to be or want to be a "success"?

2. How important is "success" to you? Why do you want to be a "success"?

3. How do you define "success" in a way that is valid and verifiable?

4. What are the best approaches to "success"?

5. What does deployment have to do with "success"?

6. What things do you want to learn and integrate in the process of pursuing "success"?

7. What is your strategy map for acheiving "success"?

8. Are there different levels of "success"? If so, what are they?

9. Are there different types of evidence that support a claim to "success"? If so, what are they?

10. How will you tell the story of your "success"?

11. Are you willing to be examined by someone to demonstrate that you are not "unsuccessful"?

12. Are "success" and "happiness" the same or different for you? If they are different, how are they different? How do they relate?

Thanks.

John