How often have you felt you need to restart your career when there is a setback?
How often have you shied away from putting out your thoughts in team meetings?
How many times have you stepped back from asking for a promotion or haven’t negotiated for a pay raise?
Your affirmative answers to all the above questions confirm the intensity of the impostor character in you. Yes, you heard it right! “Character!” That is how I would like to describe the feeling of impostor syndrome.
You may ask why?
Simply because I believe impostor syndrome is within each of us, how we use it to our advantage and transform our thoughts is the real deal.
This article will give you a peek into how entrepreneurs deal with impostor syndrome and do not give in to the negativity.
What is Impostor Syndrome?
The feeling of anxiety that creeps up and handicaps your confidence, questions your abilities, and makes you doubt your achievements is impostor syndrome. It isn’t anything new in the corporate world; however, we realize its impact now and are willing to learn about it to cope better.
Entrepreneurs at the start of their ventures get pumped up with the many ideas to go ahead and conquer the business world. But slowly, with the first failure and the next and the next, their passion gets trampled by the questionable convictions. While some convictions stay temporary, some move on to create a circle of thoughts that can make them quit. It also makes them make hasty decisions like selling off business or undercharging products/services. With the fear of everything going wrong, how can entrepreneurs take impostor syndrome in stride?
Benefits of Impostor Syndrome
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Drives You to Unveil Your Best Version
The feeling of self-doubt ensures you have what it takes to prove your alter ego wrong that does not believe in you. It makes you control your emotions, and you learn to deal with people through better interpersonal communication. Impostor syndrome is known to be prevalent in high achievers, and entrepreneurs dealing with impostor syndrome tend to become more empathetic, concerned, and adaptive to their teams. The syndrome could make you better than who you were without it.
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Brings Out the Competitive Spirit Within You
That act of perfection where you judge every move of yours before getting a competitive advantage over your peers is the result of impostor syndrome only when you learn from it. You do not take yourself for granted and substitute the negative feelings with sheer hard work.
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Makes You Profound and Wise
Impostor syndrome makes you stay on the ground, acknowledging the glitches within you. As a result, you learn, improvise, and remain motivated to achieve your goals. Every entrepreneur deals with impostor syndrome differently, but the successful impostor always strives to come out of their comfort zone by effectively working out internally.
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Encourages You to Prepare Brilliantly
The impostor constantly compares their preparation before making progress in any work. As they scan themselves pretty intricately and line up the worst-case scenarios in their heads, they come prepared as best as possible.
Understanding the barriers of the impostor feeling causes entrepreneurs to seek help from leaders within or outside the venture. It pushes them to network efficiently and always seek a support group or mentor to simplify the jargon of handling multiple tasks.
5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Make Impostor Syndrome Their Best Ally
1. Divert Negative Emotions
Some entrepreneurs keep doubting their skills and work methods even with successful prospects. What if I am doing it all wrong? What if my business idea isn’t worth it, or my approach is stupid? Why should my clients care about my products/ services, or why would anyone invest in us? However, such negative self-interpretations are helpful as they make you conscious of what you are doing. Hence, it is essential to divert such negative emotions and surmount your self-doubt as an entrepreneur.
2. Ask Anything
How entrepreneurs deal with impostor syndrome is entirely a reflection of their personalities. Some entrepreneurs do not fear to ask questions, while some filter their queries to sound intelligent. Naturally, the fearless ones who do not care about others’ judgment become successful.
3. Invite Challenges
Every profession has its ups and downs, and entrepreneurs too experience these waves in their careers. Believe you can do it, and you will do it! As your thoughts channel your energies to make themselves true, your believing can make all the difference. If you keep playing the blame game within yourself, don’t stop at it next time. Invite the challenge, explore why you think you could fail, and substitute your thoughts with proper actions.
4. Accept Failure
As an entrepreneur, you may face failure more frequently than anyone else. Some ideas will materialize while some may crash badly; however, the crucial factor is acknowledging your failures and accepting them. Once you become comfortable with failing, you will quickly head on to resolve every issue without assuming anything. Understanding your fears will propel you to expand your opportunities and grow in your career.
5. Embrace Critical Feedback
Feedback helps us assess the quality of our work. It mirrors our performance and gives us the chance to bring changes in our weakest spots. Many entrepreneurs deal with impostor syndrome by facing criticism head-on and improvising. They take negative feedback constructively and use it as a tool to transform themselves into better versions.
Impostor: An Ally, Not Enemy
Many successful people, including celebrities, claim to have severe impostor syndrome and that it intensifies when they move closer to their goals. However, they do not consider it an enemy anymore; with the positive side of impostor syndrome, it has become their best ally. How entrepreneurs deal with impostor syndrome determines how successfully they can conquer their inner fears! Because no one else knows what they’re doing either. It’s just the instinct that tells you to keep moving on. Let it not hold you back from achieving your dreams.
Shellye is committed to helping people from diverse backgrounds achieve their careers and life aspirations. The content published above was made in collaboration with our members.
Shellye Archambeau is determined to help you with all possible strategies to climb the ladder of success. She values your feedback. Do mention them in the comment section below.