Do you suffer from impostor syndrome? 

As a Mindset Mentor, I absolutely adore what I do. Helping other women overcome their fears is something I am so passionate about but for the love of God, this crap has got to change!   

I have winged my business for a year now for fear of growing big and allowing that b**ch of a witch (the voice in my head) to take over my plans. Without sounded big-headed (ok, well maybe a little). I know I am an expert in my area. Not only through my studies but also through my own dark experiences too.

Imposter Syndrome Sucks!!!

Imposter Syndrome – People who have low self-confidence and a fear of failure. They experience a constant internal struggle between achieving success and doubts of accomplishments with a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud despite external evidence of their competence. This prevents many from reaching their potential.

They may well have put a photo of me next to that definition in Wikipedia!!  I have been so scared of growth and have allowed procrastination to delay my dreams.

Last week, I had a complete meltdown. That’s right, a qualified and experienced Mindset Mentor, stood in front of the fridge, with the door wide open, with my head in my hands, I sobbed! I thought it was a delay in mourning the passing of my dog, or the fact, one of my other dogs had killed my favourite stray cat that I fed, but it was neither!

IT WAS FEAR
I have been working on the content of my free 5 day, women-only master class and full 8-week course for 3 months and I was scared of releasing it! The voice in my head had started again…

-What if no one joined in?
-What if it was a flop?
-What if I failed?

I am amazing at helping others, but sometimes I forget to take my own advice.  It again fell down to the worry of other peoples opinions.  I feared being spoken about negatively, I feared being judged, I wanted to quit!

WHAT WOULD QUITTING ACHIEVE?
Absolutely nothing! Quitting is the easy option. Quitting is NOT in my dictionary. There was no way on Gods earth that I was going to sit here in 20 years time and say to myself, “I wish I had done that!!”  It was time to reach out to my trusted best friend- my journal.
Put pen to paper and write down my feelings and fears. Next to each fear, I asked the same question that I ask my clients, What physical evidence do I have that makes this fear a reality? The answer… ZERO! There was no evidence at all!

I decided it was time to get over myself!  I set up the event, added the content and with butterflies in my tummy, I released it. This was it. The moment I feared, yet I faced it come what may.

Within 24 hours, 84 women had requested to join and the numbers are increasing daily!  The voice was wrong, but then I knew that really.  I just allowed it to become louder than my beliefs.

My whole point to this weeks column is split into two topics:

1. If you are a businesswoman, please do not be afraid to admit to your fears.  Share your flaws, you do not need to paint that perfect picture 24/7.  There is no such thing as perfect.  Be proud of your imperfections as that is what makes you grow.

2. To any woman who is reading this. You’ve got this! Life isn’t a rehearsal, so don’t act as if it is.  Achieve that dream, push through your fears and give the big middle finger to anyone who says you can’t!

If you would like to be a part of my 5-day free masterclass – Set yourself free from a negative mindset, please request to join my women-only Facebook group, “The Positive Mindset Community”.  You will be welcomed with open arms.