Three Tips to Bust Imposter Syndrome

At one stage or another, we’ve all felt like a fraud. Feeling that our success was a fluke, and soon….very soon….someone will call us out on it. Right?!

Did you know that 70% of us have at some stage of our lives suffered from the “Imposter Syndrome”? As a budding (or perhaps already well-established) woman entrepreneur, chances are you’ve felt this way at some stage too. Don’t worry, you’re in good company. Other well-known women-figures have gone through this too, including the all-powerful Michelle Obama!

So, why is it important to know how to deal with this feeling? Well, if you don’t then it won’t matter how much you achieve, how amazing you are (…because, You Are!!), or how great an influence you are to someone, you will never actually feel like you’re enough, or feel like you belong.

And frankly, you wonderful SuperWAHMs out there – you deserve better than that! If you keep telling yourself this message, believe me, this can impact many areas of your life – your career, your social life and your finances. That’s too big an impact to take!

So, to combat the effect of Imposter Syndrome, try these top three fraud-busting tips:

Tip One: Talk it Out!!

If you’re a high-achiever, chances are you haven’t talked about these particular feelings that you’ve had. It’s like a secret that no-one should know about. But let me tell you – if you voice these feelings out, you let go of the power that it’s holding over you, and you can start to deal with these feelings properly.

Find yourself a close-knit group of cool chicks who you feel comfortable sharing your feelings with. People that you know will listen to you, and give you that good ol’ boost up when you need it.

And of course – this relationship goes both ways. Make sure you’re there for them if they need to voice out their insecurities too! Remember, this isn’t about making a group of “Debbie Downers”! It’s about having a support group of like-minded people there to lift each other up to be the people you deserve to be!

Tip Two: Believe in Yourself

Ever heard the expression “where your focus goes, energy flows”? This is a powerful quote and something to remember when it comes to self-doubt. Think about it – if you’re doubting yourself, or allowing those self-sabotaging thoughts to run rampage in your head – then where is your energy heading? Chances are, it’s heading down the path of low self-esteem.

Believe in yourself and shine that light for who you REALLY are! That all-courageous, all-powerful, and super-competent SuperWAHM! Trust me – you’ve got this! You just need to believe it for yourself.

There are a couple of ways you can help boost your own self-belief:

• Focus on your posture. It’s pretty hard being down on yourself or low in energy, if you’re standing tall with a big smile on your face… Perhaps we should call this the SuperWAHM stance?!
• Write it down when you do something great – either for yourself or for others. It can be as big or as small as you like – just remember to write it down every time. This can be like your “High Five” journal. It’s something you can look back on to see just how amazing you are. ESPECIALLY in those times of self-doubt.

Tip Three: Attitude with Gratitude

I’ll be honest, until recently I was never really a big fan of journaling. But I’ve come to realize that it actually does help when you get things out of your head and down onto paper. Your head becomes clearer and you get a better perspective for what’s really going on.

Once you’ve got that out of your system, then write down ALL the things that you’re grateful for, and all the amazing qualities that you have. Even if you don’t quite believe it yet, the act of writing it down is that first important step. As an exercise, write down 5 new things your grateful for every day. As you grow in this area, and find it easier to find things to be grateful for, then build on it to really start to feel that gratitude in you. Really feel it, deep in your heart.

Here’s an exercise – try being grateful for something…like REALLY appreciative, then try to feel sad or bad about yourself. Tried it? You can’t right?! When you’re truly grateful about things in your life, you’re taking that power away from the negative and self-sabotaging thoughts. And when you take away that power, then your true self can really shine through.