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The Jonah Complex

How to Stop Sabotaging Your Success

Phil McKinney
4 min readDec 22, 2023
Stop Sabotaging Your Success

Nestled deep within us all, there’s a potential for greatness — untapped, unexplored, and just waiting to burst free. Yet, most people live with this vast ocean of potential trapped within, never knowing what they can achieve.

Why do some achieve this greatness while others never even realize its existence? It’s a question that has plagued many, and the answer may lie in what is known as the Jonah Complex. This self-sabotaging mindset holds us back from embracing our full potential and reaching for the stars.

Named after the biblical character Jonah, who tried to flee from his divine calling, the Jonah Complex is a psychological condition that keeps us grounded in our comfort zones, afraid to embrace the greatness within us.

But how does it differ from the more widely known Impostor Syndrome?

While both involve self-doubt and fear, they manifest differently. The Impostor Syndrome is characterized by a persistent belief that one’s successes are undeserved, attributing them to luck or deceit rather than competence and hard work. On the other hand, the Jonah Complex is not about feeling unworthy of success but fearing the responsibility and expectations that come with it.

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Phil McKinney
Phil McKinney

Written by Phil McKinney

Innovation Architect turning innovation dreams into repeatable success. Podcast host (since '05). Weekly YouTube. Former HP CTO. Finding new ideas that work.

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