Imposter syndrome, it can be a silent killer, with hidden symptoms that are often hard to uncover.
The good news is, it’s completely treatable and you can have a happy, healthy life and business even if you never totally get rid of it.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Even if you’ve never heard of it, if you have unfulfilled dreams, and you sometimes feel stuck and uncertain as to why you can't make it happen for you, chances are one of the things that’s holding you back is imposter syndrome.
It’s a little but powerful voice in your head that says, “Who are you to think you can do that?”
It creeps in quite often when we’re about to do things out of our comfort zone, things that open us to judgment, things that put our greatness on display.
And just when we convince ourselves, “I can do it!” a wave of resistance comes crashing down upon us, threatening that “if you dare take that chance, everyone’s going to see that you’re a complete fraud and have no idea what you’re doing or saying.”
It keeps people from starting businesses, it keeps struggling businesses from bursting through to success, it even keeps moms from making confident parenting decisions based on gut instincts.
If any of these situations describes you, you likely have at least a mild case of imposter syndrome:
If you want to start a business, but you haven’t, for “reasons.”
If you have a business but can’t get consistent profits.
If you’re a mom and not sure you can juggle a business and properly raising your kids.
How to Burst Out of Imposter Syndrome
As we’ve discussed, imposter syndrome isn’t always like having a cold. You don’t have the obvious runny nose, constant sneezing, and overall crummy feeling throughout your body.
So even if you’ve never found yourself saying, “I want to do this, but I’m afraid everyone will see that I have no idea what I’m doing and will run me out of town,” try these five cures and see if they don’t help clear the path to whatever dream you haven’t made reality yet.
1. Be Honest
As a mom, you most certainly already have supermom syndrome, that crippling belief that you have to be all things to everyone, and that having three loads of laundry sitting unfolded on the couch while serving boxed mac and cheese for dinner means you’ve failed as a mom.
As a new business owner, supermom syndrome makes it harder because we already feel like we aren’t getting things right in life.
Now maybe you have that one friend that is supermom, but chances are, at least 99% of your friends and peers are in the same position you are.
Do you find yourself commiserating with your mom friends about how you feel constantly behind and struggle to keep up? And do they share your struggles?
Of course they do. And the same goes for business.
When you’re talking and writing about and marketing your business, be honest as if you were talking to a friend.
Share what you know, what you’ve learned, what your successes are, but don’t be afraid to admit you’re new, you’ve made mistakes, you’re constantly getting better with experience, but you’re well short of perfect.
Many people fear they’ll chase clients off if they appear less than a well-polished, professional “expert” in their business.
But quite the contrary. People will relate to you, appreciate your honesty, and want to give you their business when they can see you’re being real with them.
2. Be Conscious of the Highlight Reel
A common origin of or contributor to imposter syndrome is social media.
You’ll look at what others post about their perfect lives and successful businesses on Facebook and Instagram and feel like you are not worthy of having a business like they do because your life is filled with hiccups, and your attempts at entrepreneurship are falling short.
But remember this about social media. People use it as the highlight reel of their lives.
They leave their marital problems, kid’s school suspension, and business launches that brought them no sales on the cutting room floor.
Don’t let social media comparisons affect you, ever. Many, many allegedly “successful” people fill their newsfeed with half-truths and/or outright lies.
Another wise move you can make on social media is to search for the truth-tellers. There are Facebook groups out there where people keep it real.
Use the search bar to discover relevant groups and join a few. Leave the ones that are full of hype, and make connections within those who share your journey.
3. You Don’t Have to Be the Teacher
Take care not to set the standards too high for yourself. You don’t have to be Gandhi or Jesus to be a leader. You don’t have to be the top expert in your industry to have a business that helps others.
Think of it in terms of school. Maybe you’re a fifth grader and you can help those that are at the third grade level.
Sure, there are others in your industry that are at the college level, and they can help the high schoolers.
But guess what, they might just be too far ahead of the third graders, who would prefer working with you and benefit more from it.
And in business terms, the college level businesses may be too expensive for your third grade client.
So don’t sweat it if you’re new to your industry, there are people out there who need you.
4. Do the CV Exercise
There’s another interesting thing about imposter syndrome. People tend to misdiagnose themselves with it.
That is, they fear they’ll be exposed as a fraud or someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, when they’re actually more than qualified to be a leader in their industry and to have a thriving business.
When you feel a case of imposter syndrome coming on, when you’re having a little self-doubt, sit down and create your CV or resume.
This doesn’t have to look fancy and formal as if you were really applying for a job. Just take out a pencil and piece of paper and write down everything you know about your industry and about running a business in general.
All the training, experience, knowledge you have.
Chances are, you’ll find you don’t have time to write everything. And if you run out of things to write quickly, chances are you’re selling yourself short.
For example, when it comes to owning your own Kids Party Characters business, the fact that you have kids is pretty much the equivalent to having an M.D. if you wanted to be a doctor!
So don’t underestimate yourself. If you do this exercise honestly, you’ll come out of it feeling like the expert that you are, and knowing what areas you need/want to strengthen to grow your business even bigger.
5. Find a Mentor
Finding a mentor is one of the best ways to cure imposter syndrome.
Your mentor has been there, done that, and has undoubtedly dealt with her own bouts of imposter syndrome.
If fact, even if your mentor is a millionaire with a successful business, imposter syndrome may still creep up on her now and then.
Remember we talked about in the beginning how you can still have a mild case of it and live a healthy, happy, and successful life.
Your mentor can talk you through imposter syndrome.
She can assure you that you’re on the right track, can guide you to make the best decisions, and can help you regroup when things don’t go as planned.
Kids Party Characters owner, Cheryl Jacobs, has seen the value of mentoring in her journey as an entrepreneur, and it’s one of her favorite ways to give back and help others discover the joys of business ownership like she has.
If you could use a little help curing imposter syndrome and making your goal, idea, or dream of running your own successful business a reality, take a look at the great opportunity Cheryl has put together after thinking about how she could best help other moms who want to work at home.
Cheryl is offering memberships in Kids Party Characters that give you your very own business, including an exclusive territory in which to book parties, the right to use out 200 plus costumes, and access to our casting director and acting coach.
You’ll also get step-by-step training from Cheryl on how to start your business the right way, so no experience is necessary.
Learn more about this opportunity and get all your questions answered by scheduling a no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here. Make this your first step in curing imposter syndrome and clearing the path to the life you want and deserve.
Want to know more about KidsPartyCharacters.com? Connect with us on Facebook for daily updates on the magic we bring to children’s parties, as well as our best tips and strategies for building a successful business while raising your kids.
No comments:
Post a Comment