sin miedo al éxito
Directly translated: without fear of success.
I first discovered this Spanish phrase on the side of a delicious taco truck (which I mentioned here).
Once I looked up the translation, I instantly loved it.
Perfect timing, too: this concept has been a key player in my life over the past couple of months. (In English, not in Spanish, although now I think of it bilingually. 😂😉)
Everyone loves to talk about being afraid of failure, and it can seem like an excellent excuse. “I don’t want to try XYZ because it might not work out / I might not be adequately prepared / it might be an embarrassing bust / I don’t want to fail.”
These are the things we tell ourselves. They’re often accepted answers because people nod their heads and say, “ah, yes, I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to fail either.”
These fall into the litany of reasons we have for justifying the anxiety we feel.
But what if there’s a truer underlying story here, one that — once uncovered — can free us from the stall, from the inaction and excuses?
What if…
…sometimes it’s not failure we’re afraid of, but SUCCESS?
When you succeed, you get attention. There are new standards, higher expectations. You’re on the line. On the hook. The stakes are raised. There’s more to lose.
When you succeed, your anticipated next success is awaited. It’s assumed to be repeatable. Once you’ve succeeded, you feel pressure to continue to succeed.
With success comes your required follow through. Cool, this worked!!! What now? Make your move.
You are risking things… things like the illusion of security and safety, your ego, criticism, people seeing you.
Sometimes we don’t want to be seen. Sometimes the act of putting ourselves out there is a little too raw and terrifying. What if people don’t like me when they really know me? What if they think what I’ve created is bad or dumb or incompetent? Unoriginal, unimportant, or a waste of time?
When I succeed, I care. I have skin in the game, and I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve. I’m showing up saying, “this matters to me,” and when it goes well, I don’t want to lose it or mess it up or have it be harmed by anyone else. Love and care take courage. Contribution takes courage. Sharing takes courage.
The alternative is sitting on the sidelines, attempting to stay safe, maybe hoping not to get noticed; don’t rock the boat or draw attention to what really resonates with you, don’t show them your vulnerability, don’t try.
This is a soul-crushing way to live. This will hinder our true selves from blooming into the world with all our natural color, action, dreams, abilities, and gifts.
Wouldn’t you rather make the move from the grandstands to the arena of your life?
So instead of telling yourself you are not starting that Big Thing because you don’t want to fail, perhaps ask: am I stalling because I am worried about succeeding?
What would success look like?
Is there a world in which you can be brave and bold enough, daring and adventurous enough, honest and joyful enough — to succeed? Can you be kind enough to contribute and share? Can you live your greatest story?
Is there a future in which you will be SO GLAD you leapt, so grateful to have built your dream and found success, and happy to continue showing up and doing what you do?
Could it be fun?
What if people love it?
What if you can love it, and you have the undeniable worth and belonging within yourself to know everything will be okay regardless?
What if you can keep going and keep going and keep going, onto the next, always letting the flow of creativity-in-action go through you? Continuing to experiment and write your story.
Sin miedo al éxito.
Do not fear success. Just do whatever it is you are truly here to do, and then go ahead and share it with the world.
Without fear of success.
P.S. Lead with your heart. Don’t keep those dreams locked up inside.
