Impostor Syndrome creeping in? Good!

Isn’t it annoying how on one hand you have - People who with limited information and a full tank of confidence will go out there and make money.

And on the other had - People who have gained a lot of experience in a particular field doubt their capabilities to make an income for themselves. 

I'm talking specifically about building a one person business here and the emotional rollercoaster you sign up for when you embark on this endeavour. 

Every single ‘successful’ person I follow online say they experienced this phenomenon when starting out, and even to this day it comes in waves. 

Im talking about the latter - Impostor Syndrome

How crazy is that!! - We have the emotional feeling of an impostor on the things that we actually know our shit about!

Google Definition:

Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon or impostorism, is a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.

Your success is deserved

Your success is earned

You have the tools to teach what you know

Write it out.

Emotions are not always as they seem

This got me thinking - what other 'negative' emotions should we look out for as signs we are on the right track?

FEAR - popped up immediately

Did you know there is very little physiological difference between fear and excitement.

We don't like fear per se, but we do like predictable fear - we will talk about this another time

It gets the limbic system all fired up, making us feel more alive without having to worry about actually dying.

Interestingly, studies have shown that if you learn to anticipate fearful situations then you actually activate the nucleus accumbens - The reward centre of the limbic system (Klucken 2009).

This means knowing you're about to be scared is actually somewhat enjoyable! 

Write out your fears - be aware that it will pop up along your journey.

JEALOUSY 

"Jealousy tries to get you to pay attention to something that you want." -Mel Robbins

You're never jealous about something that you don't want

Think about that for a moment...

Jealousy is a big clue along this road and one that is quite powerful to harness, but very destructive if we leave it to fester and spiral downward out of control.

You can only be jealous of the things that are meant for you. 

Next time you feel that pang of jealousy - Write it down.

Start to see the patters, use them to your advantage.

Experience of Emotions

It still baffles my mind that we can feel so secluded in our own emotions when time after time after time we are shown stories of people battling with the same. 

Building a personal brand is personal growth in disguise

That's why people say its worth it

Becoming aware of what to expect will not make going through any of these emotions any easier but hopefully it starts to make them more predictable.

Remember our 3 main suspects to keep an eye out for:

Fear --> Excitement

Jealousy --> Desire

Impostor Syndrome --> You know your stuff!

Instead of letting these emotions aim you in a backwards direction - aim them into inspiration! 

7 Day Challenge

For the next 7 days I challenge you to keep an eye on your emotions, and write down what comes up.

When does the fear arise?

What are you jealous of?

Feeling like an impostor, Why?

Don't over think this just write what comes to mind and at the end of the week take a look. It might help with a fresh perspective on whats going on and how you can start address these emotions.

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Keep showing up

Keep moving forward

Keep Writing!

If you think of any other counter intuitive emotions to add please send me a twitter DM. 

Maja Howard