Every entrepreneur I know struggles with imposter syndrome.
Personally, I have for years. No matter how much success I achieve with my business, I frequently find myself feeling deeply insecure about my abilities and accomplishments.
My perspective on imposter syndrome changed forever after reading The Prosperous Coach by Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin. In this book, Rich Litvin suggests that we shouldn’t try to get rid of imposter syndrome. Instead, we should focus on getting good at it! He suggests that if you don’t feel imposter syndrome, you’re probably not playing big enough.
As soon as that clicked, I understood that overcoming imposter syndrome wasn’t the problem – I was just looking at it and handling it the wrong way.
Here’s what I do now instead:
Before any conversation with a prospective client or colleague where I suspect feelings of imposter syndrome might creep in, I celebrate the fact that this means I am playing big and I make a list of undisputable facts about myself, my business, and my accomplishments. Everything on that list has to be a verifiable fact. I don’t list anything I hope to become, anything I wish was true, or anything I think someone might want to hear.
During the conversation that follows, I’m able to feel and project 100% confidence because every selling point I make is one of these verifiable facts. It’s virtually impossible to feel like an imposter or a fraud when you are simply stating facts.
I’m so grateful that I came across this great advice and am now able to view and handle imposter syndrome in a much more positive and effective way.