The Challenges of Success
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You have been working hard for months or even years and just achieved a big goal—now what? While a lot of focus has been put on how to cope with failure, success comes with its own set of challenges.
Finding Motivation
Motivation is easy when you know what you are working towards. After achieving a big goal, you may need some recharge time before you are ready to take on something new. You may feel a bit lost if you have achieved everything on your list. Before making what is next decisions, take some time to review your core values. What is important to you may have shifted and you may have new priorities regarding how you want to spend your time, energy, and money. Discovering what you want more of in your life can help you find the motivation to move forward.
Being in the Spotlight
When you are quietly working toward your goals, your efforts may go unnoticed by everyone except your closest friends and family. When you begin to achieve success, you may get attention. New people may start talking to you or you may even get media coverage that you have not dealt with before. Extra attention can be a distraction, add to your to do list, have your mind swirling with thoughts, or bring on the opinions of others. Focusing on your task at hand and the routines that brought you success in the first place can help you stay grounded.
Tougher Competition
When you move up to higher levels, winning is not as easy—everyone is good. You may face struggle and failure for the first time in your journey. Your increments of improvement may get smaller, come less often, and require a lot more effort and dedication to get there. While you adjust, you may feel like you are taking steps backwards and getting further away from your goals. Being around the best will help you reach your potential and achieve more than you would without that challenge.
The Pressure to Stay on Top
When you are the underdog, you may feel like you have nothing to lose. When you achieve success, the pressure to continue that same level of success and stay on top can mount. It can shift your focus to rankings, external rewards, and the fear of making a mistake. Your expectations of your performance and the expectations of others may get higher or even unrealistic. Remember that mistakes are a necessary part of the process to improvement and personal growth. Reminding yourself why you love to do what you do, and what made you start in the first place, can help you focus on your personal reasons and intrinsic motivation.
Feeling Alone
You may feel like no one understands or wants to hear about the stresses of dealing with success. You may feel like you have nothing to complain about when others wish they were in your position. Others may tell you that you have nothing to worry about or brush off your concerns. Often it is hard for people to understand what they have not experienced themselves. Connecting with others who have achieved success, are working on similar goals, or work with individuals at that level can help you build a support network.
As you go forward, think about how you define success for yourself. This definition may change over time or as you set new goals. Focus on the aspects that are under your control, and seek additional support if you are feeling stuck, uncertain, or want more information on how to determine your next steps.