Fear of Success
One of the most common reasons for failure is not fear of failure, it is fear of success. It's counter intuitive and illogical. How is this possible, you ask?
Don't let this happen to you.
* "I won't really work too hard on this project just in case it fails." (The project then fails.)
* "I wasn't successful because I really didn't work hard at it."
* "If I had worked hard at it, it would have been successful." (My ego is protected.)
This approach guarantees that: a) your ego is protected and b) that your project fails. Since it must result in failure, it must be that, logically, they sought failure not success. Therefore, they must have been more afraid of success than failure. Q.E.D.
It's not logical for people to behave in this way, it just happens to be true in many instances. Markets and people aren't necessarily logical. Understanding this about yourself (self-knowledge) and about others is very important in trying to become more successful.