You’re an imposter!! B*llocks

As a business owner and entrepreneur I imagine you started your business to have more flexibility, to work when you wanted, how you wanted and with whom you wanted.

You didn’t sign up for the long hours, the insecurity and don’t tell me you certainly didn’t expect it to be this hard, did you?

When we start to feel like we’re out of depth, when that creeping feeling comes in, you know the one that imposter syndrome you can begin to feel disillusioned, unsure and begin to even doubt your business has the potential to make it.

Welcome to the land of entrepreneurialism.

When you get that creeping imposter feeling and I’ve experienced this more times than I care to remember here is what I do to reset the tide and focus again on building and growing the business.

Remind yourself why

It sounds far fetched doesn’t it. Reminding yourself why you started is vital in business. It gives you time to remind yourself of the larger cause you’re fighting for, this could be changing industry standards, adjusting the quality of a product or service etc.

Some of your other why’s could be your family, your lifestyle or perhaps its always been your dream to run your own business.

Find your why and it will stay with you through thick and thin.

There is a great book by Simon Sinek called Find Your Why, highly recommend it.

Admire the view

Look adversity is going to come into your business life whether you like it or not. So take some time out to admire the view mentally and physically. Remember where your business was 12 months, and now look at where it is today.

That growth, that progress is the result of you and your teams effort.

Spend a bit of time looking at the view, visualise where you want to be in another 12 months and get back on it.

Never settle

Imposter syndrome creeps in often when you’re in an environment you don’t feel you belong in.

For instance when at a networking event I’d often find the nearest corner. Seriously this corner was so tight and small I couldn’t retreat any further.

Don’t do that.

Instead go in there and shake hands with the first 3 people you meet, get chatting, be cheery and focus on the task in hand. Don’t settle for a belief that you don’t belong in that room, tell it to shut up and go all in.

Adversity is freedom.

Robert Haylor