It doesn’t matter who you are, how successful, how confident and how knowledgeable, we all experience some sort of self-doubt or a form of imposter syndrome in our lives.
Imposter syndrome and uncertainty in our own capabilities can manifest in our heads at various points in our lifetime but are quite common when applying for a new job role, when becoming a first-time parent or when we follow our passion and become business owners.
In this article I am going to explain the phenomena that is Imposter Syndrome and give you 6 strategies to help you cope with self-doubt.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is the self-doubt and scepticism that someone may have in their own abilities to achieve something. It is a person’s persistent inability to believe that their success is deserved or has been rightfully achieved as a result of their own efforts or skills.
People who suffer with imposter syndrome can feel like they are being held back and may also experience a level of anxiety.
How to Overcome the Feeling of Self-Doubt.
1. Don't Dwell on any Failures.
All mistakes are a learning curve. If we didn’t make any errors, we wouldn’t learn and therefore we wouldn’t be able to grow. So next time things don’t go to plan, ask yourself; What have I learned?
Failure equips us with new tools, humbles us and can also be a course correction. For example, if we offer our audience a service and no one shows up then we have learned that we need to market it better next time.
Be humble enough to be able to ask your audience their opinions on what they want to see.
It’s also very easy to discount our successes, that’s why it’s so important to celebrate our wins, however small.
2. Have an accountability buddy.
A good way to overcome the feeling of self-doubt is to be able to talk out your thoughts with someone else, preferably someone who understands your business journey, such as a mentor or a business buddy.
Set goals for yourself, discuss them with a friend and get them to check in on you within a set amount of time to ensure you have put into action what you had planned.
3. Don't Listen to Negativity.
Our friends and family will often not be as supportive as we’d hope them to be. They care about us and don’t want to see us get hurt so they tend to transfer their fears onto us.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
For example, you don’t have the money, you have never done it before, you’re too shy or you don’t have any qualifications.
Therefore, it is imperative that you surround yourself with supportive, likeminded people who understand your journey, and help you to stay focused on what you want to achieve.
4. Avoid comparing yourself to others.
It is impossible to be anyone else but YOU! It’s great to watch what others are doing and allow them to inspire you. But remember to stay in your own lane and become confident with who you are.
Your audience follow you because they like you, what you do and how you do it.
5. Decide who you need to become.
Running your own business is hard work, but remember we are here to serve our audience. What do you need to do and who do you need to become to run your business successfully?
Step into the person you are meant to be.
It’s not going to be easy, and it can be difficult to think of who we want to be when we have a voice in our heads telling us we can’t do it. But this is when we need to keep in mind and focus on your why.
6. It’s not about you.
This is one of the most important lessons you can learn when it comes to showing up and banishing your imposter syndrome.
Stop thinking about you and how you feel about showing up, making videos, sharing tips, running courses, offering products or services and sharing your inspirational story.
Think about how your products or services can help your ideal clients resolve their problems or pain points. Don’t do your audience a disservice by not showing up. Someone out there is waiting to find you.
Therefore, consistency is also imperative. Show up when you are tired, don’t know what to say, you feel like no one is listening and when friends and family think you are crazy.
In this article I have described the notion of Imposter Syndrome and have given you 6 strategies to reduce that feeling of self-doubt.
If you would like to learn more about creating a success business, check out my blog; How to Make My Business Work Successfully.
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