My post, “My Greatest Fear of All” generated a lot of e-mail. One reader asked me to outline some practical tips on how to overcome the so-called Fear of Success.

Arguably the greatest yogi of all time, the mythical Yoda, said it best:  “Do or not do, there is no try.” But when it comes to overcoming the fear of success, I think there’s really no do—there is only be.  So, it’s quite impossible for me to “list ten ways to overcome the fear of success,” because it has nothing to do with doing and everything to do with being.

So instead of a list of things to “do” — here are five simple meditations that might illuminate what “being” feels like.

The first is riding a bicycle. Remember how training wheels were so easy, but how it paled in comparison to that first moment when your parent took them off the bike?  Even though you’d been given instruction on how to keep your balance and what to do, it still didn’t quite translate. You had to experience the wobble and tilt of the bike’s two tires for yourself to grasp how to keep your balance. And in that moment, when you finally “got it” — oh, the freedom! It’s like you never had training wheels in the first place.

Consider the great sculptors of the Renaissance, and how they started with one block of clay, making large drastic cuts to the giant mound. But as their work progressed, a finer touch and attention to detail was needed, resulting in the ultimate masterpiece.  Do you experience a fear of success? Then also be aware of your goals.  Be especially aware if you’re allowing your goals to become your limits.  Many times we create an arbitrary goal in our head or on paper.  Once we near the goal, we get freaked out, or we psyche ourselves out of achieving it.  A question to ask yourself if you are experiencing this:  “Do I believe my goal to be the limit of what I can achieve?”   In this sense, you are like Michaelangelo—don’t be afraid to redefine your goals as you get closer to creating your ultimate masterpiece.

You’ve probably heard the saying: “Luck is opportunity meeting preparation.” You can’t just sit back and imagine it (whatever “it” is) happening.  It takes disciplined effort, day in and day out.  When it does finally happen, everyone will marvel at your ability to manifest it with seeming effortlessness, but you’ll know that you just kept working at it, day in and day out.  Because you were “being” it all along. (more…)