Fear of Success

Strange as it may sound, some people fear success and fear their dreams coming true. There are several reasons for this, depending on a person’s internal qualities and outer environment. 

Some students who are gifted are not surrounded by other people who are gifted. As a consequence, they may resort to hiding themselves and their talents in order to fit in. Another possible reason involves success leading to higher expectations from others. High expectations can be intimidating. As a quick strategy of avoidance, a young person doesn't show what they are truly capable of.

Internally, some people feel a need to “top themselves” while simultaneously unsure if their last successful experience was a fluke (aka imposter syndrome). Planned or not, extreme success can lead to stress and possibly isolate someone from others. Given many young people are social creatures, they are savvy to what impacts their social standing and may hide their gifts from themselves and/or peers, parents, and teachers.

Here is an additional article to explore if this topic resonates with you.

In order for students to gauge their own “fear of success,” I presented a small quiz on the screen this week. Students were encouraged to reflect on the results of the quiz with a write up from "The Gifted Teen Survival Guide."