Is It Doubt? Or Imposter Syndrome? Overcome Those Sneaky Feelings
Many highly successful people have a dirty little secret. They feel like frauds and that their achievements have been due to luck. Have you ever felt like you aren’t good enough? Like an inner voice that tells you that your work isn’t good enough? Or that no one cares about what you have to say? If so, you are likely dealing with Imposter Syndrome!
Don’t worry - you’re not alone, many new entrepreneurs struggle with feelings of imposter syndrome, which is defined as the sense that you are less accomplished or qualified than your peers. It’s feeling inadequate and having self-doubt despite external proof of your competence. It's said that up to 70% of people feel like an Imposter at some point in their lives and it is very prevalent in the entrepreneurial world.
You know you’re dealing with Imposter Syndrome if:
You are doing your best to show up for your business but you’re struggling to be yourself online plus it feels really scary and uncomfortable to show up regularly.
OR
You are working on growing your biz to take it to the next level and you want to raise your prices, but you're worried you might lose clients or no one else will sign up to work with you.
OR
You are having fun building your website and honing your brand and messaging but when it comes actually showing up to promote your business, then you shrink a bit.
Ambitious, driven people are often pushing themselves out of their comfort zone to reach their goals and this is when the imposter feelings show up. I see this as an initiatory step in entrepreneurship. Anyone who is ambitiously trying something new is going to have it at some point. Here’s a reframe that has helped many of my clients, “Imposter syndrome means I’m on the right track. It’s showing up because I’m stepping outside my comfort zone and doing something new. It’s simply part of the process.”
What is Imposter Syndrome anyway?
The term Imposter Syndrome was first coined by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978 when they observed many high-achieving females who believed they were not intelligent and were over evaluated by others. Many women such as Serena Williams, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, and Tina Fey, even Lady Gaga admitted to feeling like they didn’t deserve their accomplishments and considered themselves frauds.
In the book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, Valerie Young has discovered that there are certain personality types or archetypes that are more prone to experiencing Imposter Syndrome. Here they are:
Perfectionist: They set extremely high goals for themselves and if they fail to reach one, they are incredibly hard on themselves. In fact, Any small mistake will make them question their own competence. They experience a lot of self-doubt and self-criticism. They always feel like they could have done better. For the perfectionist, it’s very important to celebrate all their accomplishments and to reframe mistakes as opportunities to grow.
Natural Genius: They are so used to things coming naturally that when they have to work hard or struggle at accomplishing a goal, feelings of shame & not being good enough show up. For the natural genius, it’s important to see themselves as a work in progress as well as accept that entrepreneurship is the fast track to personal growth. Accomplishing amazing things requires lifelong learning and skill development.
Superwoman: They try to do everything and be everything to everyone. To cover up their insecurities, they feel the need to be successful in every area of their lives but this often creates stress that is harmful to their own mental health and to their relationships with others. It’s important for Superwomen to stop relying on external validation and instead focus on praising themselves.
Soloist: They feel like they should be able to do it all on their own and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Of course, it’s important to be independent but not asking for help to prove one’s worth is going to hurt them in the long run. For the soloist, it’s important to recognize that those who are truly successful do not do it alone and start asking for help.
Expert: They measure success by how much they know and are always worried that they don’t know enough. Their greatest fear is being exposed as unqualified, inexperienced or unknowledgeable. It’s important for Experts to recognize that constantly learning can be a form of procrastination and actually hurt your progress. Practice implementing & teaching what you already know before learning more as well as just-in-time learning. This means learning a new skill when you need it, rather than collecting knowledge for comfort.
Ok, so why does Imposter Syndrome happen?
One of the reasons is that perfectionism is highly valued in our society. We are so busy trying to be perfect, we don’t see that it’s actually holding us back from putting our great work out there.
Another cause could be your past experiences with your family - if you grew up in a family that valued achievement above all else, then it’s highly likely that the idea of failure terrifies your subconscious and your imposter voice jumps in and criticizes you to prevent you from failing.
Or maybe your family dynamic meant that you didn’t have a lot of support growing up and there was a lot of criticism.This will create a deep sense of inadequacy that won’t shift due to external factors alone. Many people try to fix this feeling of inadequacy by achieving outward goals but once they accomplish such achievements, they find that there is still a sense of inadequacy. The reality of it is that you won’t be able to out achieve your trauma patterns. You’ll have to do deep mindset work and inner healing.
So now that you know what it is, and that you’re not alone, how do you change and fix it?
Through my time working with clients, and along with my research, I’ve been able to pinpoint 5 steps to overcoming Imposter Syndrome!
Here is the #1 thing to do in order to break the Imposter Syndrome cycle…
Walk Your Talk…If you are a meditation teacher, and you know how beneficial meditation is, so you are talking about it online but you haven’t created a solid meditation practice at home, then you are going to feel like a fraud. Right?
You don’t have to be perfect, but you do want to have experienced a transformation or received a result of some type that you can reproduce in your clients.
Here is an exercise you can do to help “walk the talk”. Identify any areas where you don’t feel that you are fully walking your talk and start walking…. When you’ve actually had your own transformation, then you can see the value more easily and fully and feel more confident selling your services.
It sounds simple, but this is just the first step in overcoming Imposter Syndrome.
If you want to know more and continue with another 4 steps…I have created a FREE Imposter No More Masterclass!! Just follow the links below and it will be at your fingertips in minutes!
Once you take the Masterclass, if you have more questions about what I do, why mindset is important in business and life, or even want a FREE Mindset Assessment, please feel free to reach out! Helping women entrepreneurs overcome their mindset hurdles so their biz is easier, more enjoyable and more profitable is my passion!