Success can be a trap. How to avoid being a one-hit wonder

"It's the dream: You finish a huge project that wins widespread acclaim-from your boss, your peers, your clients, your friends and family. You're flying high. The world should be your oyster. And yet? You can't find the inspiration to follow up. Your productivity dries up. You're afraid lightning won't strike twice. You fear being a one-hit wonder. Maybe not in the obsolete pop star sense-but in the professional, creative, successful sense. It's a horrible, limiting feeling that kills your productivity, not to mention confidence."

"You're afraid lightning won't strike twice. You fear being a one-hit wonder. Maybe not in the obsolete pop star sense-but in the professional, creative, successful sense. It's a horrible, limiting feeling that kills your productivity, not to mention confidence. But according to research from the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, there's a cause for the feelings of inadequacy following a big accomplishment. And better understanding this phenomenon can help to break through that mental block."

Finishing a major project and receiving widespread acclaim can leave individuals lacking motivation to start new work. High praise creates fear that future efforts will not match the praised success, causing productivity drop and loss of confidence. Attachment to a reputation for genius can become a 'creative identity threat' that makes people avoid risking that reputation on new projects. That threat paralyzes original thinking and can make a sophomore slump into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Recognizing the psychological mechanism behind post-success paralysis enables strategies to trick the brain and regain creative momentum.

Read at Fast Company