What is Imposter Syndrome and How to Overcome it
What first comes to your mind when you think of mindset? Is it happiness? Sadness? Resistance? Determination? Or is it joy? Our mindset is what influences our actions. It influences how we feel and how we react to events in our lives and defines what we believe is possible.
It can either significantly impact your success— or your failure. Let’s talk about mindset and what it takes to be a 6 figure Virtual Assistant!
The Mindset That Helped Me Grow To Six Figures
In the very beginning, when I first started my business journey as a Virtual Assistant, I was on this emotional roller coaster, up and down. I was excited, I felt empowered, and then…
“Oh, wow. That discovery call just bombed.” So I would be on these super big highs and then drop down really low because I had impostor syndrome.
I was thinking:
❌“You're a fraud.”
❌“You don't know what you're doing.”
❌“You are not a business owner.”
Imposter syndrome can creep in and take over out of nowhere. But to be successful, we have to gain control of our thoughts, and here is how!
You have to let go of what other people might think of you. Who cares if they think that you are unqualified? Who cares if they think that you will fail? It's not up to them. When you work, how you work, how much you make, how many clients you have— it's all up to you.
Do you believe in yourself? How badly do you want this? How badly do you want to be a work-from-home mom? Or an entrepreneur or a business owner?
Becoming a freelancer gives you freedom. You have the freedom to go wherever you want, work wherever you want, and work with whomever you want and make as much as you want.
It all starts with the mindset: how much are you willing to give to receive everything?
Why You Are Feeling Like You Are Not Capable
There are two main reasons why you're feeling like you are not capable:
You're allowing your mind to go there. When you start believing the lies you tell yourself, that is a dangerous area, friend! Your mind and what you think sets the tone for everything you do.
The devil comes to steal, kill, destroy, and put fear into your life. One of those tactics is taking what you know to be true and convincing you it's a lie.
“You're not worthy.”
“You can't do this.”
“You can't run a business.”
“You can't make six figures.”
And telling you lies, lies, and more lies.
I've been doing this for six years, and I still have days and moments where I'm like, “What am I doing?” I coach VAs on how to get started, yet sometimes I still question myself. That is normal. It will happen, but it's up to you to say, “I know who I am. I know what I'm capable of.” And you have to claim it and believe it.
Embracing Change
Changing your lifestyle, changing your job, changing your finances, changing your schedule– all of it is scary. It can be intimidating, and when you are resistant to that, you're not all in. If you're going to be a freelancer and break free and do this thing, you have to be all.
Here's the beauty of it, you get to choose what percentage you want to be all in. In the beginning, I was 200% all-in. I was applying to everything like a mad woman, following up like a crazy person because I was 200% all in. And then I realized I was burning myself out trying to make money from home and losing precious moments with my infant, which is the exact reason why I want to be at home. So I scaled it back, and I was all in 50%.
Being all in 50% means you are setting boundaries for yourself. For example, let's say you work in the morning while the kids are at school, and family time is from 4:30pm to 9:00 pm— during those times, you are out. You don't answer emails, you don't open the computer, you don't answer messages. That is a boundary you set so you do not get burned out.
How to Beat Imposter Syndrome
Get a sticky note, and write the amount you want to add to your monthly income or any goal that you have in mind. Stick it on your computer or anywhere that will allow you to see it every day.
And every time you see that number, you will be like, “Yup, I’m gonna hit that goal.” This is the one thing that I do that allows me to let go of the resistance— to get impostor syndrome out of the way.
Little by little, step by step, you will be surprised that you are actually doing the things that you were doubting yourself about before. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are not made in fear or of fear. You are made not to be fearful of anything. Of course, sometimes we will fail, and nobody likes to fail. Nobody wants to be proved wrong. Nobody wants to fall down. But if it happens, you must bounce back, reevaluate and pivot slightly.
The worst thing you could do is fall down and let impostor syndrome calm overtake you, and you go backward instead of pivoting and going forward again.
I want you to do this: Identify the underlying reason for everything that is making you fearful of jumping in and going after what you want.
Change your mindset and do it happily and joyfully with a whole heart, and you will be rewarded. That’s what I can guarantee you.
