Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome seems to be the buzzword these days. What is it? It usually rears it’s ugly head when you are doing something new, something out of your comfort zone, and essentially means that you doubt your abilities and feel like a fraud. You say to yourself, “Who am I to…?”

I don’t like to label things. Often people hang on to that label and use it as an excuse for not moving forward. I prefer to figure out how to move past that issue or problem. For example, Writer’s Block. If you sit and think that you may be experiencing this, you hold onto it and use it as an excuse. Instead, take a break from your writing until you are inspired to continue. Even so, I get it. It is because of these kinds of feelings - feeling like you aren’t enough of an expert, for example - that people don’t take that next step.

I was having a real moment of imposter syndrome as I mentally prepared for a meeting I had about a month ago. I had joined Amy Porterfield’s 30-day Digital Course Kickstarter bootcamp where I introduced myself as a self-published author who had documented every step of the process from the craft of writing to the business of writing. Because of this, I received a reply to my post from a man who was a retired news producer in the New York area for the likes of NBC and Good Morning America, who is developing a course in public relations for authors. The man has a wonderful web site with amazing testimonials.

As the meeting drew nearer, I found myself wondering what he wanted to meet with me about. I was concerned he thought I had more experience than I did.

I had to remind myself to be myself and to tell the truth of my story. He was extremely receptive and I feel like I’ve made a pretty neat connection in this writing world. But most importantly, by showing up and meeting with him, it helped with my confidence and allowed me to push The Imposter back into the shadows.

She is still lurking, but by putting in the work, I am finding it easier to ignore her.