Here’s the way this works: your mind whispers, “If I succeed…” My mind whispers, “The expectations of some will rise, and eventually I will fail and be humiliated, and along the way I’ll make more enemies than friends, because some may feel put down or shown up and others may see me as a threat.”

The fear of success has received a lot of scientific attention, since the theory was initially viewed as an explanation for the slow progress (at that time) of women in business. Although the theory has come under criticism for various reasons, currently it is being reconsidered using more modern and highly sophisticated methods of analysis.

I (Dave) recall spending time with a writer who, with his wife, had created one of the most successful fiction series ever, upon which one of the most successful series of films ever had been based. Their most recent advance had been in the millions of dollars. Yet when our mutual friend introduced me as a writer, the fellow said, “Ah, a competitor.”

A pastor named George and I became friends during our doctoral work. In contrast to the writer just mentioned, George had a unique and totally different approach. “I’m great!” he would proclaim. “I’m so great that it takes a person as great as I am to appreciate how great I am. . . . What? You think I’m great too?! That means that you’re great, because you can appreciate how great I am!”

This was George’s way of encouraging people with a little humor thrown in. The bottom line message was this: we’re children of God and bearers of his image. And since God is love, and God is light, it’s okay to let his light and love shine through us so that he will be glorified (see Matt. 5:16; 1 John 1:5; 4:8). George’s optimistic and encouraging spirit lifted my spirits during our studies, but not long thereafter my second son almost died, which tapped the grief from the loss of his brother eight years previously. For some time my personal faith light became as dim as it could be without flickering out.

Fast forward seventeen years to 2004. I’m at a party with lots of people, trying to seem sociable enough without actually engaging anyone in meaningful conversation and longing to get back to my little writing and editing “cave,” as I call my office in the mountains. I prefer that spot to almost any other except elk camp, which is quieter and even more remote, because I don’t have to talk to anybody or see anybody, entertain or try to impress anybody, shower, shave, or even get dressed if I don’t feel like it on any given day.

During that party, I notice over the fireplace a very famous limited-edition Thomas Mangelsen photograph entitled “Catch of the Day,” in which a grizzly bear that has been waiting at the top of Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park is about to catch a salmon that has been struggling very hard to get over the falls and on to the spawning grounds beyond so the salmonic cycle of life can continue.

I ask my host which he most identifies with—the bear or the salmon. He immediately replies, “The bear.” This is interesting to me in that whenever I have seen that print before, I have always identified with the salmon, with the basic thought, Yup, that’s the way life is. Futility. You overcome multiple obstacles on the journey, but then, just when the goal is in sight, the grim reaper points to You.

That was a few years ago. Today, thanks to knowing and working with this amazing and accomplished young man, I have a poster of a bear about to catch a salmon at Brooks Falls upon which I’ve written in indelible black magic marker the letters “BTB” for “Be The Bear.” And I have a print of the Mangelsen photo hanging in my own living room. My young friend’s vitality is infectious, his dreams contagious.
His light has brightened my life so mine can shine God’s grace into the lives of others. And when we shine together, it’s a unique and creative synergy that I’ve never experienced before.

When I think of our friendship, I realize how thankful I am that he (a former Olympic athlete) refused to shrink so I wouldn’t feel insecure. He called me out of my cave, step by step, and back into the light. And now I try to replicate this process for others in whom I can see far more potential than they can see in themselves.

You can do the same, but not by hiding and fearing either success or failure. Author John Eldredge, in his book Wild at Heart, says we all hunger for the following: a noble battle, an adventure, and beauty to rescue. When you find these things, you shine. You don’t play small. You don’t shrink. You live bigger, with great resolve, authenticity, clarity, and purpose.

Imagine how you can light up the world. Hold that vision sacred and work toward it with persistence. The world is desperate for more “fully alive” people, people who can make the world a brighter place. You are one of them. So shine on, because, as Marianne Williamson says, “We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

From 52 Ways to Feel Great Today, by Dr. David B. Biebel, James E. Dill, MD and Bobbie Dill, RN