Believe it or not we are now into August, we are firmly past the halfway point of the year. But why wait until January for a ‘new you’? Personally, I see no better time than the present to switch things up, work on myself and ultimately grow my business. When I say this to my clients, time-after-time they will tell me they aren’t ready, they don’t have the experience or the prowess to take the much needed next step. Sound familiar? Their response assures me of one thing; they’re suffering from Imposter Syndrome. It’s something I spent years dealing with, but didn’t know it had a name!
Imposter Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon that reflects feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence despite evident success. As a business coach, I speak with men and women everyday; all with brilliant, creative and innovative ideas. Yet only a rare few recognise their abilities and their brilliance. It’s time this changed.
A lot of my work involves creating effective strategy plans, spotting business opportunities and providing clarity for my clients. But predominantly, my work involves building the confidence of small business owners. The world is full of endless opportunities, but when suffering from Imposter Syndrome latching onto those opportunities is harder than needs be (something I know of, all too well!). Many of my clients think that confidence comes with success- they are wrong. It is success that comes with confidence.
“Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world usually do.” – Steve Jobs.
Being afraid that you’re about the be rumbled, that the world is about to find out that you’ve been faking it all along, is stopping you doing things that you know (deep, deep, deep.. and so on…) down are well within your capabilities. You’re not writing the blog that you want to because you don’t have the expertise, you’re not giving the talk at the event you’ve been asked to attend because how could you be seen as a reliable source of information? You’re not asking for the sale because you can understand why people wouldn’t want to buy from you.
If this resonates with you, then this is a gentle reminder that asking for help is not a bad thing. Recognising your weaknesses and wanting to improve is a sign of strength and dedication to your business. Before you make any decisions on what to do next, here are a few tips you can take from how I deal with my own Imposter Syndrome:
Accept that you have had some role in your successes.
It’s easy to view our successes as luck, and in some examples this may be the case. You might have been given an easy route, and if you are lucky then starting your own business may have been plain sailing for you- but I doubt it. Somewhere along the line, you will have done something that got you to where you are today. Whether it was simply saying yes to an offer or if, like me, you naturally started offering your skills to friends, and then their friends, and then their friends… Opportunities come to those who expose themselves and you deserve your successes.
Reconsider your perception of failure.
Sometimes being wrong, making mistakes or completely messing up give us the much needed hindsight we need to get to where we want to be in the future. England didn’t win the World Cup but we still view them as brilliant, successful sportsmen. Reframe failure; start to view it as an self-improvement opportunity that is there to teach you a lesson. The fact that you are trying, even when you are really unsure, makes you admirable opposed to fake.
Say “It’s Imposter Syndrome”.
This sounds like an easy one, but in reality it may take a bit of work. The sooner you accept it, the easier you will find yourself moving past it.
Here at Master Fixer HQ, August is all about building confidence. So, look out for our daily Facebook posts that will provide you with what it takes to get your go-get-it attitude back! For more help and advice, book your Free Strategy Session now!