https://omtimes.com/2019/03/success-liar-fear/
Fear may be the mind-killer, but it is also a liar. Fear is the Liar I recently watched a touching documentary, Tea with the Dames, an intimate chat between four legendary British actresses, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins, all of whom have been knighted. I found it a treat to momentarily peek into the lives of four esteemed thespians. At one point the subject of fear came up. Judi Dench admitted, “I still feel quite anxious when I have to act in a film.” I was stunned! Here one of the world’s finest actresses, who has often been cast as the Queen of England, and exudes utter confidence in her roles, now 85 years of age, is still plagued by fear! To my further surprise, her peers, also among the most respected actresses in the world, confessed that they, too, are camera shy. This shocking revelation confirmed to me a phenomenon I see in many successful professionals: Even while the voice of fear pursues us, we can go on to create huge success. That voice often disguises itself as “fraud guilt”—the idea that “I am a phony and if people knew the truth about me, they would not pay me, like me, or want me.” A survey of top Hollywood movie studio CEO’s asked, “What do you fear most?” The most common answer was, “I am afraid that people will find out I don’t really know what I am doing.” Meanwhile, these execs were turning our fabulous movies, earning many millions of dollars for their studios. Success is not the liar. Fear is. Don Juan, the mentor in Carlos Castaneda’s classic series of books of conversations with his Yaqui shaman teacher, told Castaneda, “Fear never really goes away. It sits on your shoulder and…