In This Blog
If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you most likely have seen this before.
Because for some reason, this quote always ends up being my 2nd post.
What are the most powerful words in the universe?
Karen Salmansohn
The words you tell yourself.
You can have the comfiest chair, most ergonomic table, fastest computer and internet. But if you have no motivation to do anything yourself, then it’s all for nought.
I can 100% relate to this.
Being a tech-lover, I love and want a lot of things to “make my life simple, smarter.”
But really, it’s all useless when I have no will or no motivation to use them.
Yes, everyone has their good and bad days, especially now in these unprecedented times.
But that is when your inner motivation, your inner power, is warranted.
Starting or even having an established business is a tough one. That’s why not everyone does it.
The Famous Lines
Which one sounds like you?
a. “I can’t do it.”
b. “I don’t know anything.”
c. “I’m not enough.”
d. “I have no business being here.”
e. “I’ve bitten more than I can chew.”
f. “I’m” a fraud.”
g. Insert other self-demeaning phrases
I’ve said ALL of the above.
Every move I made for my business, I had those thoughts.
The Issue
One thing that most budding entrepreneurs face is the dreaded “Impostor Syndrome.”
It kicks in, and it can kick in HARD. UNEXPECTED. TOO LONG.
By now, a lot of people feel it know about it.
Impostor Syndrome, in a nutshell, is when someone doubts themselves and their personal incompetence despite their education, experience and accomplishments.
In 2011, according to an article in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, around 70% of all kinds of people from all aspects of life experienced these feelings at some point in their lives. 70%!
From that, we can gather a few things:
- It’s REAL (unfortunately).
- ANYONE can feel the imposter syndrome.
- You are NOT the only one.
- It’s entirely “NORMAL.”
I’m a perfectionist myself. Before, I only thought it was a good thing because it made me create great things. PERFECTION.
As I grow older, especially regarding my business, perfection is turning into distraction, which leads to procrastination, leading to impostor syndrome.
That said, it doesn’t mean that you should just get sucked in and not get out of it.
The Workaround
So, what do you do? If you google it, you’ll get TONS of things to help.
I’ll name some of the things that I have personally tried, tested and helped.
Hopefully, these will help you too!
1. Recognize your thoughts and feelings
As most “first steps” will say, recognizing what you’re thinking or feeling is the most significant change.
Most people don’t even know they’re feeling it. That’s how I was too. I pretty much said all those.
Not everyone has a (what seems like a luxury) therapist or anyone to talk to – about that stuff anyway.
I found out that it’s such a common thing for anyone to have (yes, that includes entrepreneurs), yet so private.
From there, you can reassess your thoughts:
Why are you feeling/thinking that you’re an imposter?
– Is it because you’re exploring something completely or relatively new to you?
– Is it because you’re seeing a lot of other people who have succeeded in the same path within just weeks or months, while there you are and it’s been literal years and not where you want to be?
– Alternatively, is it because you grew/succeeded quicker than you thought and now the not-so-important pieces are becoming important missing pieces?
– Is it because something happened that you didn’t expect and now your plans are not what they originally are?
I could go on and on with different scenarios because as I’ve said, I was in that place too, and I still come back every now and then.
The main thing is: to understand yourself and your situation, then you’ll be one step closer to overcoming the syndrome.
2. Get support
The usual reason why people experience this syndrome is that they’re “new” to that particular industry or journey.
Try to NOT do everything yourself or do it ALL in a short amount of time. Not talking about hiring or buying anything here.
Surrounding yourself with other people that are in the same phase (or just a little further) as you can help.
Talking to a trusted friend, having coffee chats and joining groups are just some ways you’ll meet other people.
Having a network can offer guidance and support, validate strengths and encourage you to develop.
That said, be selective with (online) groups as they function differently.
They might not advertise it but some groups are for promoting services or products, some for coaching, and (not very many great ones) for an actual community.
When you do find a great community, you’ll feel at home.
BTW, join our brand new ‘Build My Empire‘ Community if you’re looking for a new community!
You can also learn as you go along.
This brings the last point …
3. Don’t compare yourself to others
You probably surrounded yourself with successful people from your chosen industry for inspiration which is good.
But you should also not get too hung up on THEIR success, especially if it’s from social media.
They might share their struggles, mind you, with very aesthetically pleasing photos, but the behind scenes are (and can) quite rough around the edges.
I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but mine was.
There were tears, imposter syndrome, stress, the verge of quitting and just going back to the corporate world, confusion, darkness and really many other things.
People said, “surround yourself with people who push you”.The problem? People, myself included, don’t see that other people’s weaknesses are THEIR strengths, and vice versa.
If we’re all perfect with all strengths and no weaknesses, it’d be a pretty boring world now would it?
You can “do it all” but why would you?
Hone your weak spots but don’t stress over it. Sometimes, just learning the basics is all you really need.
Develop your strengths more and down the road, when situations and the budget allows it, hire someone to balance the other side.
Ultimately
You don’t need to be perfect to be successful.
Make your goal ACHIEVABLE and REALISTIC.
BABY STEPS.
Be kind to yourself and your progress.
Remember, I’m here if you need to vent because I know that a listening ear is all we need sometimes 😉.
I can’t wait to see you at the next one!
What would you like to start telling yourself in the mirror today?
Pin it for later ⤵️
Subscribe here to get tips and updates.
Have tips you’d like to share with my audience? Be a Guest Blogger!
