How to battle through self-doubt and achieve success
Have you ever felt like a fraud?
Perhaps you have times when you question your worth.
You might struggle with self-doubt or second guess your decisions.
If any of these feelings sound familiar, you might be dealing with impostor syndrome.
But what exactly is impostor syndrome and how do you overcome it as a small business owner?
What is impostor syndrome?
Impostor syndrome is the experience of doubting your skills, achievements, and talents. In short, it’s feeling like you’re not good enough, even in the face of evidence that suggests otherwise. People suffering from impostor syndrome may feel like they don’t deserve to be where they are in life.
For small business owners, this might look like self-doubt around their ability to manage their business, make a success of it, and persevere through challenges, even if they are equipped to do so.
Negative self talk like “What am I doing here?” or “I don’t deserve to be running this business” is a common feature of impostor syndrome.
But the good news is that you can overcome impostor syndrome and move on from its crippling effects.
Recognise impostor syndrome’s prevalence
First of all, it’s important to understand that you are certainly not the only person going through this experience. In fact, impostor syndrome is actually more common in high achieving individuals, so suffering from it might even be an indicator of success!
What’s more, 78% of business owners and decision makers in the UK have experienced impostor syndrome.
The situations that trigger impostor syndrome can vary, but many experienced it most acutely when they led meetings, carried out performance reviews, or gave presentations—all regular features in the roles of many business owners.
Reframe your negative thoughts
The next step to dispelling impostor syndrome is to change the way you talk to yourself. Our thoughts have a powerful effect on our state of mind.
The next time you experience negative thoughts, write them down and review them. What do these statements actually achieve? Can you look at the situation from another, more positive angle? What do you need to focus on instead of berating yourself?
Working through your thoughts will help you to recognise what is useful critical feedback and what is just negative noise. Eliminating, or even just quieting, the latter will help you push forward.
Celebrate achievements
It’s easy to lose sight of what you achieve each day as a small business owner. Too often, days rush by in a blur of tasks and business as usual, while you can miss the bigger picture. Keep a journal of your successes and you’ll have a record of everything that you’ve overcome.
Reviewing this in the light of future difficulties will remind you of your capacity for success and assure you that you’ve beaten obstacles like this before.
Encourage open communication
It’s not just managers who suffer from impostor syndrome. Employees feel it too! Opening honest avenues of conversation around these topics will help your staff members feel more comfortable sharing their own feelings of self doubt.
Sharing in this way will also help your business build a support network, where people look out for each other. It will help humanise you too—showing that you are a person and not just a manager or owner.
Know where to find help
If you want more qualified assistance, there are plenty of resources out there. From government assistance to not-for-profits like the Federation of Small Businesses, there are plenty of ways to get help if you are struggling with any aspect of your small business.
Mentorship schemes are another great way to connect with other small business owners, share your stories, and discover that many people face the same problems as you.
Remember that it’s ok to ask for help and you’ll be one step closer to overcoming impostor syndrome and making your business an even bigger success.