Imposter syndrome will sneak in no matter what industry you’re in.  It’s part mindset, part habits, and part not reflecting on what really matters in your life and your business.  When it does infiltrate your life, whether you’re a ghostwriter, an attorney, an artist, a teacher, or anything in between, you have to first acknowledge it, reframe it, and then move it out of the way.  This blog will help you spot that imposter syndrome, and transform it into something that’s going to benefit you, instead of hold you back.

I’ll be talking about imposter syndrome as a writer, but these all apply to whatever you love doing.  Just swap your task, hobby, or industry as you read along.

Reframe Your Mindset

The power of mindset is huge because we are what we tell ourselves.  If you tell yourself you’re a victim, you won’t be a victor.  If you tell yourself you suck at writing, you will suck at writing.  It’s as simple as that; how you talk to yourself is going to set yourself up for success or failure.

Check your self-talk.  Are you saying things like, “I’m not a good writer!”?  What would you do if someone else talked to you like that?  Would you tell a child that he or she isn’t good at something they liked doing?  Reframe your mindset and start telling yourself, “I’m an incredible writer!”

Check Your Accolades

No matter how much you tell yourself that you’re great, sometimes you can still feel a little down.  Don’t worry, that’s what sets you apart from one of the many generative AI programs (AI never gets down on itself because it doesn’t have a soul).  When those feelings keep sneaking in, take a step back and see what others have said.

I recommend keeping what is called a Praise File.  You can make this a physical file, or a digital file on your phone or computer.  When you feel like you suck, open that puppy up.  Review what others have said praising your work.  A text from a friend, a note on a social media post, or a glowing review on your Google My Business page.  You’ll never please everyone; lean into those you do please.

Just Keep Writing

Imposter syndrome can get bad and you’ll want to throw in the towel.  The best thing you can do when you don’t feel like you’re good enough, is to just keep swimming writing.  Consistently moving forward is the best way to consistently get better.

Three-time Olympian, and CEO of Lead Sports Co. Kara Lynn Joyce is attributed with the quote, “Action is the antidote to doubt.”  Likely said by others, the quote rings true.  If you feel you’re not good enough, then just keep writing.

Join Writer Groups

There are a lot of groups out there.  Some are filled with people bragging about what they do and they’re just not fun to be in.  Others, however, are filled with people in your industry that show the behind-the-scenes look at what life is like.  Your writing business isn’t the only one that’s messy, filled with doubt, and otherwise wouldn’t look good on paper.

You’re not alone in this.  Post questions, ask for reviews, put you work out there and find those who will review it for you, offer feedback, praise what you’ve done well and help you improve on what isn’t that great.  Keep those praises in your Praise File for when you’re feeling a bit low.

Keep Track of Growth

When you were growing up, did you ever stand in the doorway on your birthday and have your parents mark your height on the door jamb?  You can’t look at yourself daily and say, “Yep, bigger than yesterday!” even though you’re constantly growing up.  The same goes for your writing.  What you wrote yesterday will look a lot like what you write today.  But over time, you can go back to some of your earlier writings and cringe when you read them.

Cringing at your past work is a good thing!  It means you’ve matured, you’ve grown, and you’ve come a long way from what you used to be like.  Use that cringe to ensure yourself that imposter syndrome is a liar, and you are awesome.

Perfection is Unattainable

Vince Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”  It’s sort of like the other, slightly cheesier, saying, “Shoot for the moon, because even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.”

You can’t be perfect, but strive for it.  When things aren’t perfect, you’re not an imposter.  Instead, you’re excellent at what you do.

Lean into Your Routine

Did you catch my recent blog about developing a writing routine?  Lean into that writing routine as you feel like you’re not good enough.  Imposter syndrome wants to wear you down until you quit.  But if you have a routine that you’re working through, you know that you have a purpose, and you have certain motions to go through even when you don’t feel like it.

Just going through the motions can be enough to spark your creativity and get your mindset back on track so when you keep writing, you keep kicking ass.

Find Victory in Your Small Successes

Part of that routine is to set goals for yourself.  Maybe it’s to write for just 30 minutes a day.  Maybe you shoot for 500 words per day.  Perhaps it’s writing 3 social media posts.  These small goals will help you hit what you need, give you that dopamine fix you crave, and drive you forward.

Ultimately, however, you might find that you don’t really enjoy writing.  Maybe that imposter syndrome is telling you that you should seek a little more help with this stuff.  You want to write a book, you know you have a good story, but you wonder if you should keep plugging away at it.  It’s here that you should consider hiring a ghostwriter.  A ghostwriter takes your words, your story, and turns them into a book.  I like to say that I do all the hard work, you get all the credit.

If you’re fed up with writing, and you want to finally finish that book, book some time on my calendar below, and let’s talk about what will get you there.