Small business tips & tools

Is the Dreaded Imposter Syndrome Whispering in Your Ear?

4 Strategies to Let Go of the Fear, Worry, and Doubt

You are a small business owner, entrepreneur, writer, coach, consultant, creator. You are smart, capable. You love personal growth. You are excited to level up, grow, and thrive in your life and work. You are purpose driven. You have a vision of the life and work you’d love to create.

You’ve started on this path. You’ve put yourself out there. You’re thinking about putting out new products, services, ideas, creations. You’re helping others level up, grow, and thrive.

But, wait!

It’s kind of scary moving forward into the unknown, out of your comfort zone.

You begin to doubt.

You begin to have feelings of inadequacy.

That monkey mind of yours begins saying things like

• I’m not good enough.
• Who am I to do this?
• Lots of others are out there doing this, too. Can I really compete with these others that are already established? Who would work with me? Why should anyone buy my __?
• I’m too busy.
• What if I fail? What will others think? What will so-and-so think?
• I just know I’m going to get called out on this.

People often ruin their success and there’s a reason behind this.

This lack of self-confidence, this monkey mind, this worry, this fear is called: Imposter Syndrome.

Background

These feelings of doubt and inadequacy are especially common when we start something new, share our ideas, or put ourselves out there. According to a paper published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, more than 70% of people in the United States have felt like a fake at least once.

Impostor Syndrome was first described in the late 70s by researchers Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. The term refers to a pattern of inadequacy observed among female graduate students. Despite objective signs of success, these women reported feelings of “intellectual phoniness,” as if they “lucked out,” or tricked someone into believing they were smart and qualified.

What is this about?

But impostor syndrome is rarely a sign that you’re going down the wrong path. Most of the time, it’s simply a defense mechanism against failure and disappointment. When we try to talk ourselves out of pursuing our goals, when we try to convince ourselves that our work isn’t important, isn’t good enough, we’re avoiding whatever it is we need to do. We don’t want to stumble and fail, so we never start. And when we never start, we never succeed.

We might self-sabotage achievements as an avoidance measure.

Our excuses may be partly valid. But, beneath them lurks fear.

• Fear of failure.
• Fear of not being good enough.
• Fear of admitting your business is important to you and of not being taken seriously.

How to shift and let go of Imposter Syndrome

We simply need to shift our mindset, don’t we?

We need to let go of the monkey mind and move into our authentic self, our heart, our purpose, our inner wisdom.

Here are 4 strategies that I use with myself and with my clients.

Strategy 1: Create Self-Awareness. Acknowledge your feelings. Look at what’s behind the behavior.

Self-awareness is the key to accomplishing your goals, dreams, vision rather than sabotaging them. You can’t change until you recognize you have something to gain from not succeeding.

To change your ways, you must first recognize why you spoil your success.

Acknowledge your feelings.

It’s normal to feel like you’re not the right person for the work, project, or idea. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has that feeling, even those at the top of their field. The great writer Maya Angelou once said, “I have written 11 books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody and they’re going to find me out.’”

What’s behind your behavior? Ask yourself these questions.

• What are you afraid will happen if your work and business are a success?
• How will your life change? And what’s scary about that?
• Must you sacrifice some part of your lifestyle to meet success? If so, what are you afraid to lose?
• How does lack of success help you? What do you gain? Perhaps you need not be accountable or face the potential for failure?
• Maybe the dream of success isn’t really yours and belongs to someone else like a parent or other respected figure?

Recognize the payoff not being successful offers and you’ll discover how to improve your life and business. You might need to study, do research, or gain knowledge. Or, you might just need to work on your self-esteem, stretch from your comfort zone, increase confidence, or ask for support.

Self-awareness is the key to accomplishing your goals rather than sabotaging them. You can’t change until you know why you behave as you do and recognize you have something to gain from your lack of success.

I love this quote from Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Strategy 2: Stop and look at the big picture. Reflect on your reasons, your why.

What is your vision? Why are you doing what you are doing? What is the big picture? Do the decisions and actions you are taking feel authentic, create a genuine impact, help others? If we focus on the products, services, ideas, projects, that others will find helpful and useful, we shift back to being on purpose. Will others benefit from what I am doing? Will it help solve a problem they have? Does it serve more than just myself?

Strategy 3: Pause and celebrate the successes. Celebrate the milestones.

When we pause to acknowledge and recognize our successes to date, it makes us feel good! This reflection lifts us up and helps us internalize success.

I encourage you to keep a list of your wins, your successes, your milestones. No one but you needs to look at this list, but it is very powerful to pull it out periodically when the monkey mind grabs you. Own these wins. Smile. Do a happy dance. Be proud. Share them with your coach, mastermind, support group.

You are living your purpose and living the life and work you set out to create.

Strategy 4: Let go of perfectionism. See yourself as a student.

I love this perspective. We decide to let go of doing it perfectly. We decide to do it imperfectly. We decide to take on beginners mind. When you’re creating or leading, acknowledge that you don’t know everything and that you’re here to learn. To learn as you go.

If you take on this mindset, imposter syndrome can’t survive in your head, because it has nothing to grab onto. You’re not trying to fake a persona or maintain a certain image — instead, you’re motivated by curiosity.

Treat your work as an opportunity to learn, to grow. Because in the end, that’s exactly what it is.

Final thoughts

Live and work as only you can. Do stuff only you can do. Do what only you can do best. Make the world more interesting for your being here.

I am a life coach and small business coach. I help others get really clear on the life and work they would love to manifest, know that they can have it, and help them create it. Visit me at https://www.lauraraduenz.com