Fear of success

[judgesmails]

There are times in my life where if things are going really well, I do something to sabotage it. Nothing really drastic or truly self-destructive - but something just enough to add drama or ensure that I will not have an easy time.

This carries over into poker sometimes. If I am having a good session, or good week, I will play sloppy for a while and will tend to bluff too frequently. If I have a big chip lead in a tourney I will overplay my big stack.

I think this tendency has something to do with a fear of success – at least success how it is commonly seen. I am not sure if I have a serious problem with this, because I think I fear failure more. But I think this is holding me back, not just in poker.

Where do these feelings come from and how can I stop them from creeping into my actions?