How to Break Through Fears and Conquer Imposter Syndrome As An Entrepreneur
If you are an entrepreneur...you’ve most likely been in a high stakes situation where you have a lot to gain and a lot to lose at the same time.
Maybe it was a major sales conversation with a client/stakeholder, a business presentation, or a pitch to an angel investor to raise thousands or millions of dollars of funding into your business.
The moment you are about to show up to that meeting or put on that presentation...you may feel that sudden rush of anxiety, those butterflies in the stomach, and that dreaded thought of
...who would ever buy my product or service, who would ever invest in me, am I even good enough?
The fear of failure and being uncovered as an “imposter” is the most common fear as an entrepreneur. It cripples us from being able to reach our full potential so that we can actually create a business lifestyle that we actually want.
But more often than not, that gnawing feeling of self-doubt in your stomach stems from an internal response in your brain, focused on “you” types of statements. The language in which we describe ourselves can have huge effects on what happens to our future.
As entrepreneurs, how do you beat imposter syndrome and overcome fear in your business?
1. Move away from the “you” based of thinking
Start seeing how you can provide value and change someone else's life. There is somebody out there that is begging for you to show up in their life and help them. You are the solution to somebody else’s problem. Move this focus from your doubts, your insecurities, and shift them into ways you can help others.
2. Move away from the scarcity mindset towards a place of abundance
It is a legitimate fear among business owners to think about things ...will I have enough money to keep my business alive, do I have enough money to pay for rent? But on the same token, opportunities are there if you are in the right mindset to receive them. Building confidence, making opportunities happen, and learning how to let go of your fear. There will be unplanned events that can change the entire trajectory of your business
3. Reminding ourselves that one event or one person’s opinion does not define who you are.
Anything worth doing is worth doing terrible at first. Some of the most famous people with imposter syndrome have all experienced imposter syndrome moments at one point in their life or another. JK Rowling got turned down by 12 publishers before publishing her famous Harry Potter series that has now sold 500 million copies. Maya Angelou, civil rights leader, author, and Nobel Laureate winner have also gone through self-doubts when writing her 11 books and not knowing if her work was good enough.
Imagine if all the entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, inventors, and activists all had imposter syndrome and backed out at the last moment...we would have never had the medical breakthroughs and groundbreaking work that has improved the lives of so many.
4. Failure is essential for your success
Reframe your thinking and picture each act of failure as a necessary data point that is needed to get better and start excelling at what you are doing. A data point is objective and has no feelings attached to it, its mere task is to get you one point closer towards sharpening skills and becoming a master in your trade.
5. Recall all of the things you have pulled off in your life that were once deemed impossible....
Especially, all of the times you thought you’d fail and have had major breakthroughs.
6. Shorten the time span in which you spend time thinking about doing an action, and just do it!
Sometimes….a “someday” becomes a “never”. Someday I will start a business, someday I will do X. Nervousness, the thought of being “good enough” declines when you have to complete a particular action right NOW.
7. Have an accountability partner
Delivering a promise to a huge audience with a timestamp to complete a project can be a huge driver towards being more productive and thinking less about being an “imposter”.
Even the biggest celebrities, leaders, and entrepreneurs have all experienced imposter syndrome in their lives -- a huge part of overcoming that fear is having that confidence and knowing that you are the solution to somebody else's problem...and them thanking you that you did not give up when you thought you weren’t good enough.