PB121: 7 Strategies for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Strategies for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Today I’m going to talk about an issue I see a lot of bloggers struggling with. In fact, I see a lot of blogger’s really crippled by this. I am talking about imposter syndrome. Note: this episode can be listened to in the player above or on iTunes or Stitcher This is something I have suffered with quite a bit over the years. I’m going to get a little personal today and tell you about those times when I was pretty much paralyzed by it. I’m going to get a bit honest today, and tell you that these weren’t the best times of my life. If you want to hear about it, then listen on. I think if you’ve suffered with this imposter syndrome. Hopefully, you’ll get something out of my story that will help you get through it yourself. Today I am going to present to you 7 different strategies to overcome imposter syndrome. We are going to touch on fear, self-doubt and feeling like others think you are a fraud. We are going to get really raw today. Do you ever fear that you’re about to be found out and that everyone is about to discover you’re not as smart as they think you are or that you don’t really know what you’re doing in some area of your life? Do you feel this way about your blogging? If so - you’re not alone at all, but you may be suffering from Imposter Syndrome. In Today’s Episode 7 Different Strategies for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Understand that you’re actually suffering from this because you’re a high achiever At least be comforted out of the fact that you are not willing to settle for poor performance This may not fix it, but it’s good to know You need to work on self acceptance and realistic expectations There have been a number of times that I have been paralysed by imposter syndrome (World Domination Summit) I wrestled with it and became stuck I had unrealistic expectations about the results of this talk Perfectionism taken to the extreme can paralyse you Perfectionism also starts to creep into other extreme realities like being booed on stage or destroying my business I talked myself down to a more realistic reality and realized I didn’t need to be perfect I needed to be honest and true to myself Don’t be too hard on yourself, treat yourself kind Focus on your audience - I realized worrying was incredibly selfish, it was all about me and not my audience I decided that every time I was worried about how I would be perceived, I had to stop thinking about myself and focus on my audience This is great advice for anyone creating something for an audience This is also why I’m trying to interact with my readers as much as possible One of the best things you can do to show that you are not a fake or fraud is to deliver value Be Transparent - The most powerful thing you can do to smash through imposter syndrome is to blog with transparency People can only call you a fraud or fake if you are trying to be something that you are not Show people who you really are I was at SMMW a couple of months ago, and Cliff Ravenscraft talked about imposter syndrome. You are only an imposter if you are lying about who you are or what you have achieved. His suggestion was to always be honest when writing content by revealing: This is who I am This is what I have experienced to this point and what I’m learning These are my hopes, dreams and goals for the future This particularly relates to bloggers who are blogging about topics that they are not qualified to formally write about yet. I get asked about this a fair bit by readers who ask ‘“should I start a blog on a topic that I’m still a beginner in?" My answer is to always tell the story of when I started ProBlogger back in 2004 I struggled with imposter syndrome at the beginning of ProBlogger. Even though, I was on my way to being a full time blogger.