Does any of this sound familiar?
“What if my clients realize that I’m still trying to figure this all out?”
“If anyone asks me how long I’ve been in business they’ll find out I’m a fraud.”
Or my personal favorite, “Look at her, she’s younger than me and so much further along…I can’t pretend to be in the same league as her.”
These are all common quotes from the imposter syndrome villain living in my head.
For me, imposter syndrome, rears its ugly head when comparison and self-doubt meet. I look around to other amazing mompreneurs and think “I’m not as good/smart/talented as her” and then my mean girl chimes in, “Yeah…You can’t do this.”
On their own, comparison (aka the thief of joy) and self-doubt (aka the self-saboteur) are already super villains. Why do they have to join forces and make having a winning mindset even harder?! And if you let them win and take over, you’ll waste time and energy that you could be spending on growing your business, working with clients, and making an impact.
Here’s where I’m going to get real with you...
I have let imposter syndrome not only win the battle, but win the war. Feeling like a fraud or like I wasn’t enough prevented me from posting on social media, reaching out and connecting with potential clients, marketing my services, etc. And the list goes on and on. I remember when I was first starting out, how terrified I was that I would be “found out”. I was so worried that a client would ask how many clients I had coached, or how long I’d been in business that I would cancel or reschedule my free consultations. And then when, surprise, I had no clients, I thought, “see, you aren’t good enough”. That first business I started…became another statistic of a new business that failed…all because I let imposter syndrome win.
Luckily this monster didn’t keep me down. I’m back at it and going to share all the heroines you need to fight these villains off.
1. Meditate
There are so many reasons to meditate…let’s add warding off imposter syndrome to the list. Meditation will help with imposter syndrome because it will enhance your awareness of the thoughts that come into your brain AND improve your ability to discern if it’s truth or if it’s garbage that you need to throw out.
2. Positive Affirmations
If your brain is run over with super villains, you need to put enough super heroines in there to get rid of them. Obviously, the kryptonite of negative thought, is of course positive thought. Take a moment and draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. On the left, write out what your inner mean girls says to you when imposter syndrome is running rampant inside your mind. Across the line on the right, write the affirmation that is actually true, or that you need to be true.
Example:
If my clients find out I’m figuring this out as I go along, they’ll leave me. | I’m capable of serving my clients in the way they need, when they need it. |
Take those notes on the right side of the paper and read them over and over, recite them in your head, hang them in your office if you have to. Slowly but surely, you’ll retrain you brain to believe the truth and not the lies.
3. Imperfect Progress
At the end of the day, imposter syndrome is fear dressed up in fancy clothes. And nothing will quiet fear down faster than proving it wrong.
If you’re worried about potential clients asking how long you’ve been in business, like I was, get client conversations on the schedule and you’ll see that typically, they don’t even ask! If they do, be honest and share why all your previous experience is why you’re a great resource. Usually we’re building it up in our heads to be bigger and scarier than it actually is, so diffuse it quickly but jumping in.
4. Abundant Mindset
So much of imposter syndrome comes from a scarcity mindset. That there are only so many clients or customers and so if you get them, there won’t be any left over for me. That’s just plain not true. You don’t have enough time in your day to serve all the clients that are looking for what you have to offer. There truly is enough to go around. Think that one over and then start lifting up other professionals in your universe. That action will automatically force you into an abundant, giving, mindset and you’ll quickly see that the customers that are meant for YOU will come to YOU.
5. Remember The Success you've Already Had
Even if you do all these things, imposter syndrome has a sneaky way of getting back into your brain. My last super heroine is to put together a list of your achievements so that when you start to hear “you’re not good enough” you can look at that list and remind yourself that, “Actually, you’re more than good enough…look at everything you’ve done.” This could be client testimonials, thank you notes, or pictures of your products being used. Organize these close by so you can bring them out at a moment’s notice.
If you’ve tried some of these techniques and you’re still really struggling, I highly recommend working with a coach or even a therapist to help you move through this tricky mental block. Because here is the absolute truth: You are good enough, and the world desperately needs your gifts.
If you want to work with a coach to cultivate a winning mindset, consider booking a free session with me and see if we’d be a good fit!