There are so many correlations between being an entrepreneur and being a creative (artist) that I don’t separate them in my mind. Both make something from nothing. Both learn as they go. Both need to get comfortable with the unknown and with being seen.
And both may not take the proper credit when something goes really well because they feel it wasn’t that big a deal and anyone could have done it, which is never the truth.
In 15 years as a career transition expert, I have never worked with a client who didn’t experience impostor syndrome during the job-search process. Even the most accomplished professional who has had an amazing career will wonder if they can take the next step and will question if anything they have done has been exceptional.
Or, they may worry that people will find out they have just been faking it the whole time and they are not very talented after all.
I try to normalize this with my clients, since every single one experiences this. With compassion and humor I guess – usually correctly – all the things they are concerned about and all the ways they feel like an impostor. Some clients say, “How did you read my mind? That is exactly what I was thinking!”
Everyone has similar gremlins, to be honest.
The video by Dwayne Walker below talks about the silver lining of impostor syndrome, which I thought was interesting. What if experiencing this kind of discomfort and uncertainty was actually an indicator of something good? What if it meant you were on the right track and it was a voice you should listen to?
And what if not experiencing impostor syndrome was a red flag and meant you were playing too small? Walker says:
If imposture syndrome is in your home, meaning that it’s talking to you, it just means that you’re currently growing and expanding into spaces you’ve aspired to be in. Doubt is the price you pay for ambition.
This explains why my clients who want to go for a higher title experience major impostor syndrome.
And here is another point Walker made that I just loved:
We’ve been sold the lie that you need to believe in yourself before you start creating, but that’s backwards – you build your way into confidence. Confidence is the side effect of creation. The point isn’t the product, it’s the proof, proof to your impostor that you will show up, proof that you won’t let the fear win. Proof that you’re the kind of person who creates even when you don’t believe.
Basically, feeling the fear and doing it anyway creates a positive feedback loop. Getting into action can get you past impostor syndrome.
I think you will enjoy this short video. I found it inspiring and helpful.
Photo by Alvin Mahmudov on Unsplash
