Imposter syndrome cost me thousands of dollars.
Over the last 2 years ish I’ve done a lot of work on myself. I knew that to become the person I wanted to be, I had to start changing now. Taking cues from my higher self and all that jazz.
It was during a lockdown and I had walked up to the park to jump on a call with my coach. We were chatting about the business and how I wanted to crack a $10k client project. And she said, “I don’t think you think that you’re ready for that”.
And that hit hard.
With all of this work, inner reflection, journalling and more, one thing that came across (in a very big way) was the imposter syndrome that was so apparent in every decision I made and how I showed up, which was hindering any type of progress, hindering the growth of the business and in all honesty, making me earn a lot less money that what I should’ve been.
I had this overwhelming sense of well why should I be charging $10k for a client project? There’s so many other people out there that know more than I do, that are better than me and that who deserve to be earning that much.
It feels like I shouldn't be, because who the hell am I to tell you about imposter syndrome. I'm no expert. Of course I'm not. I'm just a business gal with a whole lot self doubt who feels the same way you do.
I’ve cost myself thousands of dollars because I
let clients dictate their own project timelines
let my prices be bartered down by someone who wasn’t worth the time or money
didn’t back myself to make financial investments which I ended up making down the track
didn’t raise my prices because I was scared
So here's my experience and what I've learnt.
I know what it feels like to question your experience, your expertise, your worth as a business owner, especially because we tie our worth to a monetary value.
But, that imposter syndrome will affect your progress in more ways than you can imagine if you don’t start working to resolve it.
It still comes up for me even now, and I’m constantly working through it, so here’s what I’ve learnt so far and hopefully it helps you.
Don’t seek external validation
Asking someone else “am I good at this” will render so many different opinions - opinions that don’t matter. Because the only opinion that matters is yours. If you believe that what you’re doing is going to add value and cause no harm, then go for it!
Back yourself.
Believe in what you’re doing. You have something to say. You can share your experience because there’s someone out there that will value from hearing what you’ve got to say.
Embody your higher self
You have to embody your highest self before you can reach that goal. Because she already has it. She knows what she’s doing.
When in doubt journal it out.
Get it all out on paper. Write down how you’re feeling. Express it in the best way you know how. Then you’ll be able to work through it.
As long as you are doing things out of your comfort zone, trying new things and exploring ways of working, there will always be some level of imposter syndrome.
The key here is to not let it get the best of you. Acknowledge it but don’t let it hinder your progress. Don’t let it stand in the way of your achievements or potential.