A mentor caught me off guard recently by asking, “Do you actually fear success?” The question came up during dinner as we discussed my businesses and projects. An outsider might have thought I was avoiding taking on a more decisive leadership role. However, the more I thought about my mentor’s question, the more it bothered me. After all, who doesn’t want to be successful?
At the time, the idea of being afraid of positive outcomes or success was new to me. But it’s something psychologist Abraham Maslow noticed back in the mid-1900s. He called it the Jonah complex, named after the Biblical prophet Jonah, who desperately tried to avoid his divine calling.
In his book The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, Maslow explained that even when we want to reach our full potential, we often hesitate to take the necessary steps. He pointed out that we fear our most immense possibilities. The thought of what we could become is thrilling, but at the same time, we’re overwhelmed with feelings of weakness, awe and fear. Maslow believed that the fear of success stems from the fact that pursuing our dreams entails change, increased responsibility and heightened visibility — all of which can feel intimidating.
As veterinary professionals, we are accustomed to managing fears of losing patients, making mistakes and not meeting client expectations. Unfortunately, another quiet fear is that taking on leadership roles or pursuing innovative ideas will attract criticism, lead to isolation or add unwelcome burdens.
When we recognize and face the fear of success, we take a step toward self-care and a healthier profession.
Understanding the Fear of Success
The fear of success might seem odd in a society that values achievement, but it stems from psychological factors such as:
- Change and uncertainty: Success often leads to changes in our roles, responsibilities and social settings. Even among high-achieving individuals, uncertainty causes discomfort because people prefer predictable routines.
- More responsibility and scrutiny: Greater expectations follow when we receive public recognition or are promoted within an organization. Success makes us more visible, which can feel threatening if we fear criticism or envy.
- The loss of belonging or identity: Some of us fear that excelling will set us apart from colleagues or family, leading to jealousy or rejection.
- Perfectionism and a fear of failure: The line between the fear of success and the fear of failure is thin. As I’ve written in previous articles, our profession is full of introverted perfectionists, and perfectionistic individuals set impossibly high standards, seeing any deviation as failure. Our industry’s culture of excellence and a zero-mistakes mindset promotes perfectionism and the fear of both failure and success.
- Guilt and impostor feelings: This one is common in veterinary medicine. People with impostor syndrome or low self-esteem worry that they can’t maintain their performance. The phenomenon convinces you that you’re a fraud despite your accomplishments. You attribute your success to luck or overpreparation, and you fear exposure.
Impostor Syndrome
A 2020 British Veterinary Association study showed that 68% of veterinarians experience feelings of impostor syndrome, which presents as self-doubt and the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite clear accomplishments. In veterinary practice, impostor syndrome often occurs alongside low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. It is connected to job dissatisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue and can lead to the fear of and feeling guilty about success. Those afflicted worry that their high performance isn’t sustainable and that their success will raise expectations.
Many of us enter our field out of a compassion for animals rather than for recognition. However, as we assume leadership roles, publish papers or earn peer recognition, we might feel undeserving or fear that we won’t meet others’ expectations. Our desire to please others increases our anxiety about losing what we achieved.
How It Manifests in Us
Watch for these traits in yourself and your colleagues.
- Self-sabotage and avoidance: When success causes anxiety, people might sabotage their goals by procrastinating, exerting minimal effort or rejecting opportunities. I recognized it in myself when I delayed and then postponed a decision about a leadership role. Self-sabotage can also include declining speaking opportunities, undercharging clients, limiting a practice’s growth and putting off the launch of new services.
- Crediting external factors: Veterinarians with impostor feelings often attribute their success to luck, teamwork or caring clients rather than skill. They tend to dismiss praise and focus on their flaws, which prevents them from recognizing their achievements. When a surgical procedure succeeds, they might think, “I was lucky this time; next time I’ll fail.” That thought can fuel ongoing anxiety and self-doubt.
- Hesitation to innovate: Practice owners might avoid expanding their hospitals or investing in new equipment because they fear public scrutiny or a lack of skills. Clinicians might hesitate to market widely, worried about becoming overwhelmed. These concerns typically stem from low self-efficacy and fears that success could lead to unmanageable pressure.
- Guilt about surpassing peers: In close-knit veterinary communities, practitioners often worry about overshadowing their colleagues. They may fear the envy of other professionals or being labeled as self-promoting. Because success can trigger mixed reactions — admiration and jealousy — some veterinarians choose to “play small” to keep the peace. This tendency becomes even stronger when younger veterinarians outperform their mentors.
What You Can Do
Here are eight ways to overcome the Jonah complex.
- Recognize and normalize the fear: Awareness is the first step. A fear of success often hides behind excuses like “I don’t have time” or “I’m not ready.” A supportive workplace that encourages reflection and vulnerability helps veterinarians feel safe voicing these fears.
- Enhance self-efficacy gradually: A fear of success is linked to low self-efficacy, so building confidence is crucial. Setting small goals, like discussing a case in team meetings or lecturing at a local veterinary event, can progress to national speaking opportunities.
- Reframe perfectionism and embrace mistakes: Perfectionism fuels the fear of success by making anything less than flawless seem like failure. Replace perfectionism with realistic high standards and recognize that failure is part of growth. Practicing self-forgiveness when setbacks happen and cultivating compassion reduces the fear of falling short and success-related guilt.
- Align personal and professional values: One way to overcome the fear of success is to be unwavering in your values. When achievements connect to deeper purposes, like animal welfare, mentoring or scientific progress, success feels more meaningful. Veterinary leaders can help by recognizing the diverse definitions of success and celebrating contributions that reflect core values, such as compassionate communication and community outreach.
- Seek social support and mentorship: Sharing experiences reduces shame and normalizes fear among veterinary professionals. Mentorship and consulting with peers help demystify success and provide perspective.
- Engage in growth mindset coaching: Interventions that foster a growth mindset — the belief that abilities can develop through effort — reduce impostor syndrome and boost resilience. A growth mindset views success as a learning opportunity and encourages individuals to see challenges as growth opportunities rather than threats to self-worth.
- Practice cognitive reframing: The fear of success is often fueled by catastrophic thinking, where we focus on worst-case scenarios and see worries as inevitable. Learning to see the potential benefits of success provides balance. In addition, recognizing how the fear of success can lead to missed opportunities, lost income and stagnation can motivate us to make changes. Cognitive behavioral techniques, like replacing the thought “I’ll fail if I take this role” with “I will need support to grow,” shift the focus from fear to possibility.
- Consider therapy: Sometimes, the fear of success can be just as harmful as the fear of failure. Veterinary professionals whose fear disrupts their sleep or daily life should seek help from a licensed therapist. Asking for professional support is a sign of strength.
Embrace Your Calling
We can overcome the fear of failure and the fear of success by building self-efficacy through small challenges, mentorship and a growth mindset and by replacing perfectionism and impostor feelings with self-compassion and values-driven success. Confronting the Jonah complex enables veterinarians to reclaim agency, accept recognition and expand their expertise without compromising their core values. Embracing success with humility promotes personal growth, advances animal welfare and motivates others.
BEYOND JONAH
According to Britannica, Abraham Maslow was best known for his self-actualization theory of psychology, which argued that the primary goal of psychotherapy should be the integration of the self.