Have you ever felt like you don’t deserve to be where you are at currently, that all your accomplishment is a fraud? Do you try to downplay your achievements and are generally uncomfortable with receiving praises from people or do you feel like you know so little? If you are feeling this way, then you are probably experiencing the imposter syndrome. While both men and women experience imposter syndrome, statistics however show that women are likely to experience imposter syndrome more than men. We very much understand that being a woman entrepreneur is hard enough, but still have to deal with the imposter syndrome. To help you, we have listed some ways on how you can overcome the imposter syndrome.
Speak to Someone: It would be helpful to confide in someone about these feelings, especially with a person that understands and is able to relate to what you are experiencing. It gives you more perspective and lets you know that you are not in this alone. You may be quite shocked that there are well-accomplished business women out there that still experience the imposter syndrome from time to time.
Write out your accomplishments: Whenever that feeling of inadequacy comes knocking, list out those accomplishments or milestones that you have attained in your business, this would help readjust your mindset, make you more balanced and give you that boost of confidence you need to attain or achieve the next milestone.
Stop making comparisons: Try not to judge yourself harshly or make comparisons of your business with another. While an assessment of how your business is performing compared to other businesses may be done once in a while, try not to beat yourself up about it too much, if you discover that you are underperforming or feel like you could never achieve a similar level of success. What you can do is learn from the other business and see how you could apply what you have learned to your own business.
Hone your expertise: If you feel like you don’t know so much and that you are just winging it, especially if you are in the knowledge business, then you really need to put in the hard work to ensure that you are an expert in your field. You need to gather expertise, hone in, and niche down on that particular skill or knowledge.
Start small: Don’t undertake huge tasks all at once, why don’t you start small and work your way to the top, the smaller tasks you are able to achieve, the easier it becomes for you to conquer larger tasks.
Celebrate wins: For every accomplishment or milestone, no matter how little, you should document them and celebrate them, no matter how little. Perhaps you were able to meet the projected revenue for your business at the end of the year or you were able to sign a big client, it is important to celebrate, as celebration enables you to acknowledge progress, boosts your confidence and gives you that motivation to be better and keep pushing
In addition, while imposter syndrome if not handled correctly could be destructive, it could lead to panic attacks, anxiety, and depression, it is however not a totally bad thing, if you are experiencing those feelings it probably means that you are outside your comfort zone and thus making progress. So, if you are experiencing the imposter syndrome, it probably means that you are doing something right, you can then work towards overcoming it.
