This is definitely a cultural thing. In discussions with the folks I'm working with (in London), failure is still the big fear. In Europe it seems, one failure marks you for life. In fact I had this exact discussion, I (Bay Area based), have definitely felt much more the fear of success. My take is that when you are afraid of success, you are probably picturing a much different version of what success is than someone who is more afraid of failure.
At the end of the day, fear is fear, we all have it, you either keep going or you let it stop you.
While I don't like generalizations about Europe (there was some topic recently here), this one is certainly true. It's something I admire about the American way of thinking, that failure doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. AFAIK in most European countries (if not all), failure is treated like a toxic disease, both socially and by law. I believe it discourages enterpreneurship on a bigger level we can even imagine.
At the end of the day, fear is fear, we all have it, you either keep going or you let it stop you.