Have you ever heard of Imposter Syndrome? It’s a regular phenomenon people experience when they don’t feel like they’re good enough to be doing what they’re doing. Maybe you once received a promotion at work you didn’t feel you were qualified for, or you were on a team of people who seemed so much more confident than you.
When I became the boss over my old news organization, the first thing I did was call my mom. I told her that, while I was elated to have been promoted, I didn’t quite understand why I was chosen. I felt like I was just pretending to know what I was doing, but I was in way over my head.
Then she told me about Imposter Syndrome. Psychologists Suzanne Imes and Pauline Rose Clance originally studied this phenomenon in the 1970s and assumed that it mostly applied to women. As the study progressed, however, they learned that men experience it, too. It’s actually most common for people to experience “feeling like a fraud” when they’re taking on new challenges.
Meaning this phenomenon is extra common with entrepreneurs.
So how do we fix this? How do you get over the fear of not being good enough to pursue your dream?
Focus On What Really Matters
Entrepreneurs can get caught up in a whirl of nitpicky details. Ask yourself what you’re truly passionate about and why it’s important to you to pave your own path. Meditate on your goals and create a plan to get there. When you focus on achieving each step little by little, you’re less likely to get overwhelmed by the grandiosity of starting and running your own business.Imagine The Worst — Then Move On
I do this for myself whenever I’m afraid of taking the next step toward anything. Ask yourself this: why am I so afraid? What’s the worst that could happen? Figure out the worst that could happen. Don’t be afraid to get extreme! Giving a name to your fear can help you to face it and move forward. Even if that worst case scenario does happen, you’ve already prepared yourself mentally for it, so you’ve taken that power away from fear.Talk About It
The problem with Imposter Syndrome is that everyone thinks they have to suffer through it silently. You might meet up with other entrepreneurs who seem confident and successful in their businesses, but chances are they’re struggling just as much as you — and like you, they’re afraid to talk about it. If you address your challenges of feeling like a fake or fearing failure, I guarantee you someone will tell you they feel the same. Finding someone you’re comfortable enough to confide in will help validate you and get all that pressure off your chest. Always remember that fear is not the enemy of courage, it is the enabler of courage. Use that fear to propel you forward in all your endeavors and you’ll never cease to surprise yourself at how far you can go.
by: Emily Brady
Emily Brady received her Bachelors at Brigham Young University Idaho where she majored in Communication Sciences with an emphasis in journalism and professional management. She has written for Scroll News and Deseret Digital Media and is currently a freelance writer. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading and swinging in her hammock.
