Chapter 9
Overcoming the Fear of Earning an Income
For many, our incomes are what keep us going back to work every day, providing not only a means on which to pay rent and purchase food, but to indulge in hobbies and pleasures. That income provides financial freedom and helps us to feel valued by our organizations. Yet, there are others to whom that paycheck has an entirely different significance – and that significance brings with it fear and apprehension.
Earn Your Way to Financial Freedom
For many sufferers, their fear gets the best of them, hindering their professional lives which then negatively affects their personal lives. Because they are so afraid, they either unconsciously self-sabotage their professional lives or simply refuse to earn an income in the first place.
Unfortunately, this behavior further fuels this fear, causing long gaps between jobs or poor performance records that then make it difficult for the sufferer to truly support themselves. Many end up living on the government dole or relying on their parents or other friends and family for support and to help them make ends meet.
The nasty truth of it is that by feeding your own fear, you are hurting the people who surround you and love you the most. The only way to fix it is to take matters into your own hands, face your fear, and make a movement and investment in your own success.
Though taking those first steps will be scary, they are not only your first steps toward a better you – they are also your first steps toward freedom, toward pride in yourself, and toward earning the respect of those who surround you.
Overcoming Your Fear of Earning an Income
Because this fear is not so much of a phobia as it is a symptom of other fears and phobias, every sufferer needs to take different measures to overcome it. For those who experience this fear as a side effect of anxiety, you may want to engage in therapeutic measures and may also find a medicinal approach to curing your anxiety as a whole helpful. For those more traumatized by previous hostile working environments or failures, working with a professional coach or therapist may be helpful. There are countless scenarios and options and, regardless of which you pick, you will need to proactively decide to make a change in your life and must take a first step toward that change.