How to Fight Imposter Syndrome and Own Your Voice

Oh, Imposter Syndrome.

You, my rude friend, are not welcome here.

What is Imposter Syndrome, exactly? Unfortunately, it’s something a lot of small business owners and entrepreneurs are familiar with; it’s the intrusive thoughts insisting we don’t belong, aren’t good enough, or don’t know what we’re doing.

Imposter syndrome whispers mean-girl thoughts and fuels the fears we have that prevent us from chasing our dreams.

I don’t have to ask if you struggle with this, because I already know.

We all struggle with this at some point or another.

The thing that’s probably on your mind after you stop nodding your head in agreement is, “Great, you get me. But, how do I get past it?”

I hear you.

I remember being there when I “launched” Simply Sianne back in 2012. (And “launched” is just a cute buzzword meaning I purchased my domain name.)

You see, my business wasn’t anything like what you see today.

Instead of brand strategy and web design, I focused on corporate event planning and design.

Let’s just say life happens and, well, that didn’t.

So, Simply Sianne turned into a blog documenting fun recaps of wedding festivities, vacations, the occasional recipe, and home renovations (yea, we were doing those back then, too!).

And, while I was sharing life as it happened, I was terrified to let my friends and family on social media know about it.

Crazy, right? I didn’t mind if a stranger on the internet read about my life as it was happening. In fact, I welcomed it! But when it came to my close friends, I was terrified of what they would think.

But why?! I’m not like that in “real life,” and this may sound cold, but I firmly believe I’m not meant to be everyone’s friend. You’re either gonna like me or not.

So once again, what was I so afraid of?

I feared being judged, but mostly I was afraid of failing and not feeling like I was good enough.

Some of those fears and doubts crept in when I decided to officially move away from “lifestyle blogging” and lean into my strengths: marketing, branding, and website design.

I’ve always struggled with feeling like I wasn’t a designer, that I wasn’t creative, and that I didn’t belong here designing brands and websites.

But the reality is, I do.

And my clients continually remind me.

So, how do you get over fear, find your voice, and lean into your strengths?

I’m sharing a few truths I learned while building my business to help you fight Imposter Syndrome and own your voice!

Practice, Practice, and Practice Some More

My younger self is rolling my eyes at this advice, because my coaches (gymnastics and running) would always say “practice makes perfect” and “every day you don’t practice, someone else is and getting better.”

Truth be told, they were right.

The same goes for us when fighting imposter syndrome and owning our voice.

It genuinely takes practice to be comfortable saying and owning who we are, especially when we’re stepping into something new.  

Once we’ve said it enough, we are so much comfortable owning it.

So, get out there and practice!

Start having conversations in your local network and state what you do and who you are. If you’re a blogger, let them know. Pursuing photography? Introduce yourself as a photographer! If you are writing a book or want to be a coach, own it.

We have to raise our hands and let others know what we do; if we want to be comfortable and confident with who we are, this is the first step.

Minimize Looking at Others

I realize this sounds like a no brainer, but I think this is easier said than done.

We are so interconnected with what others are doing (and their successes) that it’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game and not focus on our own work. Social media makes this even harder.

Sometimes, unfollowing or putting on blinders can help you stay in your own lane and is the best way to approach fighting Imposter Syndrome.

If you spend your downtime consuming other’s content, it’s easy to feel paralyzed and not begin, because someone else is already doing it, right?

Listen:  you can’t compare yourself to someone else’s journey. Betsy with the rockin’ business is at a different stage than you are. She has different goals and offers different perspectives. Consider being inspired, not threatened, by her!

But, if Betsy is making you feel inferior, take a break and unfollow. You can follow back when you feel more confident.

And remember: there’s enough room for all of us

Owning Your Voice

We all have our own quirks and ‘isms; identify what yours are and infuse them into what you do. A few examples of ‘isms include:

• The use of “y’all” or “hey there!” or “hey guys”
• A client says “awesome” a lot – so we added it in her website copy and social media messaging

PRO TIP
Write down things you say a lot on a Google doc to help you identify your ‘isms – then you can go back through and choose ones that align with your business and your audience to infuse into your brand messaging.

Some will fit and some won’t, but, you won’t know until you try.

This one kinda goes back to my first point: practice, practice, and practice some more.

The more you practice infusing what makes you unique into your “thing”– the more comfortable you become with it and the more you will learn what comes naturally to you.

For example, in the creative world, I tend to come across straight to the point and very professional.

But, that’s what’s natural for me.

Yes, of course, I infuse my personality into my writing and into videos, but I tend to prefer being direct, and that works for my audience and me.

Through testing, trying, and practice you’ll see what works for you and the people who start following along!

RELATED: HOW TO BUILD YOUR BRAND FOR YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS

So, if you’ve been fighting imposter syndrome or afraid to start a blog or side hustle, I encourage you to go for it.

You truly never know what’s waiting on the other side.

It could be a whole new world of opportunities, community, and happiness you never even knew existed.

You just have to begin.

Cheering you on every step of the way,
Sianne