Fear of Your Own Power
- Tavia Rising
- Oct 8
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 5
The Hidden Weight of Potential
When we talk about fear, we often think of failure, rejection, or loss. But for many, the most unsettling fear isn’t falling short, it’s rising higher than we ever imagined.
Psychologists call this the “fear of success.” It’s the quiet voice that asks: What if I can’t handle it? What if I outgrow the people around me? What if stepping fully into my power makes me a target?
In a culture that celebrates achievement, this paradox may seem strange. But beneath the surface, countless people live with a deep anxiety about their own potential, not because they doubt it exists, but because they fear what it will demand.
The Hidden Cost of Playing Small
Sociologists note that modern society sends mixed messages about ambition. On one hand, we are told to “dream big” and “chase success.” On the other, we are warned not to be arrogant, too loud, or too different.
For women, people of colour, and marginalised voices, this tension is even sharper. Systems of inequality often penalize those who dare to shine too brightly. Leadership and visibility come with scrutiny, criticism, and heightened responsibility.
The result? Many people play small, not because they lack talent, but because stepping into their true power feels unsafe.
The Weight of Responsibility of Fear of Your Power
Fear of success is rarely about achievement itself. More often, it’s about what follows: responsibility, visibility, expectation. To succeed means to be seen. To lead means to be accountable. And to embody one’s full potential often means leaving behind old identities, relationships, or comfort zones.
This weight can feel overwhelming. Success, after all, doesn’t erase fear, it magnifies it.
Power as Permission
But what if power isn’t a burden, but a gift? What if stepping fully into who we are is less about pressure and more about permission — the permission to be unapologetic, to contribute, to expand?
Throughout history, transformative change has always come from individuals willing to embrace their power: activists who sparked revolutions, visionaries who created movements, artists who shifted culture. Their light did not diminish them; it illuminated others.
To awaken to your own power is not an act of selfishness, it is an act of service.
A Social Shift Toward Empowerment
We are beginning to see cultural movements that encourage people to embrace their full potential, whether through leadership programs for underrepresented groups, platforms that amplify diverse voices, or a broader recognition of mental health as part of empowerment.
Yet the inner work remains. To step into power is to confront the fears we’ve hidden, to climb past self-doubt, and to accept that our highest self has always been waiting for us.
Awakening What You’ve Hidden
If you’ve felt the pull of your own potential but also the fear of what it might mean, I’ve created a guided meditation: “Fear of Your Own Power: Awakening What You’ve Hidden.”
In this meditation, you’ll climb a spiral staircase inside a sacred temple, arriving before a glowing mirror that reflects your highest self. It’s a practice of self-activation, empowerment, and embracing the leadership and purpose already within you.
It closes with an affirmation to carry forward:
“I was made for this. My light is safe with me.”
Fear of Your Own Power
Many people fear not their limitations, but their potential.
The “fear of your own power” is a quiet, often hidden anxiety about visibility, responsibility, and change.
Learning to step into your full potential isn’t arrogance, it’s self-permission to grow, lead, and shine without guilt or fear.
What Does “Fear of Your Own Power” Mean?
The fear of your own power, sometimes called fear of success, is the discomfort or anxiety that arises when you imagine stepping fully into your potential.
It’s the inner voice that wonders:
“What if I can’t handle it?”
“What if success isolates me?”
“What if shining too brightly makes me a target?”
While it may sound paradoxical, this fear is common, especially among high achievers, creatives, and empathic individuals who associate power with pressure or exposure.
Why Do People Fear Success or Potential?
Fear of success isn’t about doubting ability, it’s about fearing the consequences of growth.
Success brings visibility, responsibility, and change. It may challenge relationships, identities, or comfort zones.
Psychologists note that people often self-sabotage when achievement feels unsafe, subconsciously shrinking back to protect themselves from scrutiny or higher expectations.
How Does Society Influence This Fear?
Modern culture sends mixed messages:
“Be ambitious,” but don’t be too confident.
“Stand out,” but don’t make others uncomfortable.
For many women, people of colour, and marginalised groups, the social cost of visibility is especially high.
Sociologists have shown that systemic inequality can make power itself feel dangerous, those who rise are often judged more harshly or held to impossible standards.
This tension leads many to play small, equating safety with invisibility.
What Is the Hidden Cost of Playing Small?
When you suppress your potential to avoid discomfort, you also suppress vitality, creativity, and purpose.
Playing small may feel safe, but it creates long-term dissatisfaction, a sense of “quiet frustration” that you’re meant for more but afraid to claim it.
Over time, this pattern erodes confidence and reinforces self-doubt, creating an inner split between who you are and who you could be.
Why Does Power Feel Heavy or Dangerous?
Power carries emotional weight because it represents responsibility and change.
To embrace your power means being seen, and being seen means risking misunderstanding, envy, or judgment.
True empowerment requires letting go of identities built around playing it safe and learning to stand firmly in your truth, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Can Power Be a Gift Instead of a Burden?
Yes. Power, when rooted in self-awareness and compassion, becomes a form of permission rather than pressure.
It’s the permission to create, contribute, and inspire without fear of overstepping.
Throughout history, every movement for progress has depended on individuals who dared to embrace their potential, artists, activists, healers, and visionaries whose light guided others.
Your power doesn’t take away from others; it expands what’s possible for everyone.
How Can We Begin to Embrace Our Full Potential?
Acknowledge the fear, name it without shame.
Redefine power, see it as energy, not ego.
Release guilt about success, your growth serves others too.
Visualise your highest self, imagine the version of you who leads with integrity and grace.
Act despite uncertainty, courage is the bridge between potential and embodiment.
Each small act of self-trust becomes a signal to your nervous system that it’s safe to expand.
What Does “Awakening What You’ve Hidden” Mean?
Spiritually, awakening your power is the process of remembering who you truly are beneath fear and conditioning.
It’s reclaiming your voice, your creativity, and your ability to influence the world positively.
In the guided meditation “Fear of Your Own Power: Awakening What You’ve Hidden,” you’ll climb a spiral staircase inside a sacred temple and meet your reflection in a glowing mirror of light, a symbolic reunion with your highest self.
This practice teaches you that your light is safe with you.
Healing Affirmation
“I was made for this. My light is safe with me.”
Repeat this affirmation whenever you doubt your ability to handle growth or visibility. It helps reframe power as a natural, peaceful extension of who you are.
Listen & Integrate
Experience the full meditation:
A 20-minute guided journey from Meditation Central, written and voiced by Tavia Rising, designed to help you step into your authentic strength with confidence and calm.
About the Author
Tavia Rising is the founder of Meditation Central, a trauma-informed meditation teacher and writer who creates guided journeys for emotional healing, self-leadership, and empowerment.
Her work blends mindfulness, somatic awareness, and creative visualisation to help listeners rediscover their inner power and purpose.
Learn more at meditationcentral.com.au
or follow @meditationcentral_global for new releases and resources.
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