Why You Feel Ashamed of Your Achievement (And How to Move Beyond It)

[00:00:00] If you feel ashamed of your success, like you don't deserve it or you somehow cheated the system, this video will help you understand why and what to do about it. I wanna talk about something. I don't see people discussing enough success, guilt. It's this feeling that even though you've achieved something significant, maybe you hit six figures.

Maybe you finally have financial freedom. Maybe you're living a life most people even dream of, but you feel guilty. Guilty that it came easy for you. Guilty that you're doing well, while people around you are struggling guilty, that maybe you don't actually deserve it. Now, I felt this myself, and I've seen it in almost every high performing coach or consultant I've ever worked with.

And if you don't address it, it's quietly sabotaging everything you're building. So today I wanna talk about where success guilt comes from, why it's so common, and how to move beyond it. So lemme paint the picture. Maybe you recognize this in yourself. [00:01:00] You have a big win. You close a high ticket client, you have your best month ever.

You buy something you've been wanting for years, and instead of celebrating, you downplay it. So when somebody asks you, how's business going? They say, you say, oh, it's fine. You know, ups and downs, even though you just had a record month. You post on social media, but you never talk about money. You never share your wins because you're afraid people will think you're bragging or worse that they'll resent you for it.

You feel like you have to hide your success, like you need to play small so other people feel comfortable. Or maybe it shows up differently, right? Maybe you're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, like success is temporary and it's just one mistake away from losing everything. Okay, so where does this all come from?

Let me break down the three main sources that I've seen. Here's the first thing. You were taught like me, that struggle equals worthiness. But most of us grow up with this belief that hard work is the only [00:02:00] valid path to success. That if you didn't suffer for it, you didn't earn it. So when success comes easier than you expect, when you build systems that work, when you find leverage, when things start to flow, it just feels wrong, and you tell yourself, this shouldn't be this easy.

I must be missing something like we've seen this all the time. It's like people win the lottery and then they go nuts, and then they lose it all. It's the same thing, but here's the thing. Ease isn't cheating. Ease is efficiency. It's what happens when you're good at what you do. Most of us are taught that hard work is the only valid part to success, and so when success comes easier than expected, it feels wrong.

Here's the second thing. You're surrounded by people who aren't where you are, and this is huge, right? Your friends, your family, maybe even your partner, they're not entrepreneurs. They don't understand what you do. They don't see a success and they don't get how hard you worked to build it. And because they don't [00:03:00] understand, you feel like you can't share it.

You feel like talking about your wins will create distance, so you hide. I felt exactly the same thing. Right. I've hidden success or achievements with, from my parents, from my kids, from people around me. It was just because I was ashamed that they might ask me for money or you know. Or they're gonna judge me, or they're gonna, they're gonna criticize me for, you know, working so hard or whatever the case may be.

Here's the third thing. Imposter syndrome never fully goes away. And even when you have achieved significant success, this is voice in your head that says you're not that good. You just got lucky. Eventually, you'll, people will figure out that you don't know what you're doing, and this voice makes you feel like your success is undeserved, like you're fooling people.

But here's what I want you to understand. Imposter syndrome doesn't mean you're a fraud. It means you're growing. It means you're doing things [00:04:00] you've never done before. Here's why this matters. Success guilt doesn't just make you feel bad. It actively sabotages your business. When you feel guilty about your success, you unconsciously self-sabotage.

You undercharge, you, overdeliver. You say yes to clients who. You don't want because you feel like you owe it to them. You avoid visibility because you don't wanna be seen as somebody who's made it. You downplay your expertise because you're afraid. People will think you're arrogant and all of this keeps you stuck.

I've done this Undercharged. Overdelivered not posted online, done all of the things. Despite having success. In fact, I once posted something on LinkedIn and got criticized by my own family for not including them as if they were a significant part. And it's not to say that they were not a significant part, they were, but I chose actively to not [00:05:00] talk about them.

And what happened after that post? After that fight, I stopped posting. I shied away, and this is exactly what happened. Success guilt isolated me and it isolates you because you can't be honest about where you are. You feel alone. You can't celebrate your wins, you can't process your challenges. That's loneliness.

It's one of the biggest reasons successful entrepreneurs burn out. So how do you move beyond this success guilt? Step one, reframe what success means. Success isn't something you stole from somebody else. It's not a zero sum game you succeeding. Doesn't mean somebody else fails. Your success is proof that what you built works.

It's evidence of your skill. You didn't cheat, you didn't get lucky. You earned it. Step two, find people who get it. This is a massive one and something I am constantly working on. You need to be around other people. Who are where [00:06:00] you are, people who you can be honest with. 'cause when you're surrounded by people who celebrate your wins, instead of resenting them, the guilt starts to fade.

And this is one of the biggest benefits of building or being in a community like Growth Pros. You're around other six figure coaches and consultants who get it, myself, Caleb included. We intentionally keep the group small. So that everybody has real connections with people at their level. Step three, give yourself permission to actually enjoy it.

And this is the hardest thing. You have to consciously decide to stop apologizing for your success. Stop downplaying your wins. Stop hiding your achievements. Stop feeling like you need to justify why you're doing well. Success guilt makes you undercharge over deliver. Avoid visibility. It isolates you.

And here's the shift. Stop apologizing for your success. You built something, you helped people. You [00:07:00] created value. You deserve to enjoy it. If you're dealing with success, guilt, if you're hiding your wins, downplaying your achievements, feeling like you don't deserve what you've built. I want you to know this is normal and you're not alone.

But it doesn't have to be this way because inside growth pros, we talk about the stuff openly. We work on the mindset blocks that keep. Successful coaches and consultants stuck. We help you own your success, charge what you're worth, and stop playing small. Working alongside Caleb on the mindset piece, myself, on the strategy and marketing piece, we've created a place where you can be honest about these struggles without any judgment.

So if this sounds like what you need, there's a link in the description. You can apply for a strategy call. Let's talk about where you are and how we can maybe help you. But whether you join or not. I want you to take this away. Your success isn't something to apologize for. It's something to build up. So stop hiding, [00:08:00] start owning it.

See you in the next one.

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