Now, you may be thinking, "Are you kidding me? Who would fear success?"

Rejection. Failure. Change. I can understand people fearing these. Not success!

Success is the third biggest fear I see in my consulting business behind rejection (Number 1) and change (Number 2).

So, what is Fear of Success?

It is simply that. People fear being successful.

In other words, they have placed more pain to success than pleasure. They fear, through being successful, something will go wrong and they will feel emotional pain.

Common symptoms are when you nearly succeed and then sabotage it.

A good example is weight loss. Many get close to their goal and then they put all the weight back on.

Another example is a client who, when they were close to passing a course, sabotaged their success by making a silly mistake.

Think of sports people who get close to winning yet "falter at the last hurdle". I can think of a famous Australian golfer who constantly lost in the last round or a play-off.

Why do people suffer from a Fear of Success?

It usually starts at a young age.

Many I consult had it start in school where they were getting all the questions right, doing really well and their peers gave them a hard time about their success. Their peers didn't like them doing well so set out to make them feel bad.

Wanting to be liked, the bright student stopped getting things right and became "average". Their peers now accepted them and wanted to be friends.

What did the bright student learn?

In order to feel accepted and liked, I have to be average.

They then keep this mindset through their adult life.

In Australia, many don't like to see people succeed. It's called the "Tall Poppy Syndrome".

If someone is doing well, let's knock them down a peg or two.

Fearing ridicule or being judged in a negative way, people stay mediocre - to please everyone.

If someone is making a lot of money, you will hear comments like "She must have ripped someone off", "He must be selling drugs" and "She's a tight-a.."

Are you falling at the final hurdle in some area of your life?

If you are, where in your life have you been successful and received a hard time because of it?

Why have you placed pain to success?

Update your program and know you are allowed to be successful. If someone does not like you being successful, it is their problem. They obviously are unable to achieve success in their life so believe no-one else should have it.

Think back to that childhood memory and update it - if the same thing happened today - knowing what you know today, how would you handle it? Tell your inner child it is great to be a success.

Practice being successful in small areas and celebrate. Then take this to the larger areas.

The switched-on people will be happy for your success.