Here's a fantastic quote by Marianne Williamson that was sent to me yesterday:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? "

Coincidently, today I read a post from the 100 days of peace blog on playing small and it got me to thinking about one of the ways that we can sabotage our career goals. We question whether we are ready to take a leadership role in a challenging assignment. We hesitate to advertise ourselves as the expert in a particular skill. As in the quote above, the voice in our head asks us "who do you think you are?". Conscious  or unconscious fears and anxieties kick in:

• Management won't agree with my capabilities and will give the job to someone else
• I have too much to learn to call myself an expert
• I will have to work even harder if I take this assignment

The first step in removing the fears of success is to acknowledge both the positive and the negative consequences of playing a bigger game:

• What do I gain if I am successful?
• What do I get to avoid if I stay where I am?
• What guarantees am I waiting for?
• What am I afraid of losing if I succeed?

My next post will discuss some ways to overcome the fears.