‘The frequent feeling of not deserving one’s success, and of being of a failure despite a sustained record of achievements’

– Cambridge dictionary

Now that we’ve accepted that it’s real and that most of us have felt it at some point in our lives, let’s talk about some of the ways to tackle it! 

I have noticed that the more I immerse myself into this business owner lifestyle, the less confident I feel about the whole thing. From the outside, I can imagine that it looks a little silly. With over a decade of experience within administrative and corporate settings, I should be killing it with confidence. Sadly my perfectionist tendencies will not let that be the case. But that doesn’t mean I should sit by and allow those insecurities to engulf me and you shouldn’t either.  So here are 3 lessons that I have learned along my business journey so far.

Upskill: ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’ right?

There are many reasons to upskill. If you want to erase those feelings of being a failure or a fraud, then provide yourself with credible proof. A weekly training schedule was my way to combat this. Now every time that little voice says ‘Oh you’re not supposed to be here’ I simply look over my graded assignments, smile and exhale. Doing a course, gaining more knowledge, achieving an accredited qualification are all amazing ways of proving your knowledge and expertise, to yourself!

Get yourself a mentor:

Having people within the business world that you trust, that act as mentors and who have been through similar experiences is crucial. They will reassure you, normalise your feelings and help you gain perspective on yourself and your situation. . Knowing that others have been in your position, can really make the world feel a little snugger.

Observe, but don’t engage:

Yes you have the opportunity to use your mindfulness skills here. Acknowledge those thoughts and feelings, then put them into perspective. Think about whether those thoughts actually help you or if they are even true at all. Learning to think like a non-imposter is learning to value feedback, practising new skills and knowing when to ask for help.

So many of us have moments of doubt, but we can choose not to allow them to infiltrate and sabotage us. We have the ability to disengage in detrimental conversations with ourselves. And although the feelings may resurface from time to time, knowing that you are not alone makes the difference. 

I hope that you found this useful and I’d love to hear from you if you have had any similar experiences or feelings.