3 free ways I’m challenging my imposter syndrome this year

We’ve all experienced feelings of self-doubt from time to time. Some days you just feel just ‘off.’ Maybe you blundered your way through a job interview or pitched an idea that was shot down in a ball of flames at work. These things happen and it can be hard to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off again. But what about when self-doubt starts manifesting as more than just the occasional negative thought?

Imposter syndrome, although rarely talked about, is something that up to 70% of people have experienced in their lifetime. The feeling of being a fake or a fraud has affected such successful heavy-weights as Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, David Bowie and Sheryl Sandberg. If there’s one thing we can take away from this knowledge it’s that a) literally more than half the population will feel this way at some point and b) it’s not altogether bad company to be in.

Imposter syndrome isn’t just something that can make us feel crap about ourselves it can also have financial implications. It was the reason I didn’t negotiate my job salary until I was in my third professional role and has cost me the potential job earnings of every job I’ve failed to apply for because I couldn’t do all 500 things the job advertisement asked for. Rather than just revel in the feeling of not-being-enough I’ve decided the time has come to conquer my imposter syndrome. Here’s how I’m doing it.

Reinforcing what you already know. I’ve been job hunting for a couple of months now (ain’t nothing like being unemployed to really level-up your imposter syndrome) and it’s easy to get caught in the trap of equating a lack of call backs to your - perceived - lack of skills. One thing I have found helpful is reading up on the industry I’m applying into. This has a two fold effect of often learning about some cool new things but also reinforcing that I already know this shiz. I recommend signing up to some free industry newsletters or even completing a short intro course if there’s one area of your skill set that is bugging you. I recently completed a free two hour short course in digital marketing and although I learned a few new tips and strategies, it also reinforced to me just how much I do know. 

Embracing gratitude. I’m a naturally anxious person so sometimes being given a chance to prove myself can feel like I’m setting myself up for failure. My mind immediately races thorough all the things I think I can’t do instead of what I can. Rather than embracing this glass-half-empty perspective I’ve decided to seek out opportunities as opposed to the hurdles in my way. Instead of feeling sick at the thought of leading a group of my peers in a project it’s a great opportunity for me to champion my colleagues and level up my skills in an area I want to improve in.

Rewriting my narrative. Another fun that anxious brains like to do is equate our past successes with luck rather than skill. I’m a firm believer that we spend too much time dwelling on our failings and not enough championing our successes. While it’s important to learn from our mistakes it’s also helpful (and confidence building) to remember the steps we took to earn our wins. That time you put together a winning strategy wasn’t just blind luck, it was because you did your research and crafted a well thought through response. Writing not just your wins, but how you got there, down in a journal is helpful not only for a self-induced pep talk but will come in handy in the future. You can use these success stories for your resume, at your next job interview or as a reminder that you can take on whatever challenge that comes next.

My 2019 Goals and How I'm Planning On Achieving Them

In my last post I talked a little bit about goal setting and the importance of not just making goals but working towards them. Today I thought I'd share what my 2019 goals actually are and how I plan on achieving them.

Finish my manuscript :: As I've mentioned before my year of completing a diploma in Creative Writing left me with a pretty solid 50k word manuscript but, one that needed a lot of work to become the book I want it to be. I'm setting myself weekly word goals but also allocating time in my calendar each week to the editing process which definitely takes the longest.

What I'm using to keep me on track: The tomato timer method and tracking my weekly word counts.

Shop more sustainably :: Over the past two years I've diligently kept track of all the spending I've done on clothing, shoes and accessories. Things got a little out of hand in 2017 and since then I've managed to rein my spending in, cutting my annual clothing budget in half. I made some really smart choices last year and feel like my closet has a very robust set of basics that will get me through almost any occasion. I like shopping but the guilt of how much stuff I purchase and how bad these purchases are (on a mass scale) for the environment really bugs me.

Because not buying anything is impractical for me - I have weaknesses okay? - I wanted to make an effort at being more sustainable. My closet is a big area where I can make an impactful change. I know not every purchase I make this year will be a sustainable one but my new rules are: Search for items I want second-hand before I buy anything and if I have to buy something and can't find it second hand (in the condition I want) then make an effort to seek out items from sustainable retailers. So no more fast fashion brands for me!

What I'm using to keep me on track: ThredUp and Poshmark are already saved to my computer browsers and I've already purchased my first items second hand!

Read more books :: 2017 was a pretty poor reading year for me and I know that the more I read the better my writing is (and the more motivated I am to write.) This year I've set myself a goal of reading 30 books. 18 more than I managed to do last year.

What I'm using to keep me on track : Goodreads yearly challenge and my Kindle!

Have a better plan for my career moving forward :: This goal is less specific than I would like but there's a reason for that! While I enjoy my work in content and digital marketing I've been feeling lost over the past few years about where I would like to end up. I've been toying with the idea of switching to UX design but it's a big leap (not so much in the work but the time/money I think I will need to outlay) and I want to make sure that it's a path I would a) enjoy and b) would fit my strengths before I go rushing into a career change. At the end of this year I would like to have a clearer path mapped out for making this transition.

What I'm using to keep me on track: Meetups aimed at UX designers, online learning spaces such as Skillshare and General Assembly.

What goals are you working towards this year?

3 Easy Ways to Stay on Track of Your Goals

I was never a goals orientated person. I mean sure I had big dreams, and things I wanted to do in life but they were vague things like 'finish my degree', 'get a job' and 'start looking after my body.' The older I get the more I've realised the value in both setting goals and the work that goes into achieving them. Writing my book has been a huge dream-come-true for me but the process of writing was one that I needed to get serious about.

In 2017 I finished my year of writing having bled, sweated and cried 80,000 words into my novel. Through editing and revising I finished my year with a solid 50,000 words in a tidy but not-yet-finished manuscript. After getting off track last year (my two month break turned into about ten months) I'm back at weekly writing goals for 2019 and am aiming to have a polished 80,000 word draft by the end of the year. Sidenote - my manuscript is very much in it's draft stage so there's a lot of work that needs to be done not only writing another 30k but severely editing what I do have.)

Here are some practical ways I'm trying to stay ontop of my writing goals this year. If you're not a writer don't worry as you can apply them to almost anything!

The tomato timer method :: Committing just one hour during the day to doing a job I'm struggling with was a lifesaving method for me while I was studying. Sitting down for one hour, whether I achieve anything or not, is a far less overwhelming task than say forcing myself to write 1,000 words or applying for 'x' amount of jobs. While the output is about the same (it takes me an hour to write around 1200 words) I often found myself not just writing for one hour but three or four. 

Writing down your wins :: I used to write down a list of things I wanted to achieve each day or week and it was always longer than what I could reasonably achieve. Now instead of feeling disappointment that I only achieve two of my four planned workouts in a week, I celebrate what I did do instead. I also think there's a weird psychological shift in wanting to improve on work I've already done. When I've smashed out two workouts in a week and squeeze in a third it feels like a win as opposed to only completing three out of my four planned sessions.

Tracking your progress :: Because my ultimate goal with my book is to have a 80k word count having what I've achieved each week written down can be really motivating. While I was studying I had a weekly word count of 4k and I would mark each week's achievements on my calendar above my desk. While it can sometimes be despairing to see the week's when I haven't done much I actually found it really motivating to see how much I had already achieved. Looking at your progress as a whole can be very satisfying and I'm planning on taking this tip into 2019 with me.