Thanks to our friends at Showit for sponsoring this blog! Author: James Nwobu. Art by Derrick Kempf.
If you’ve ever reached a point in your life when a voice in your head starts telling you that you’re not good enough, not experienced enough, not smart enough, not _____ enough; pay attention. It’s telling you more than you think.
Limiting beliefs and self doubt aren’t anything new, but the diagnosis of “Imposter Syndrome,” actually is. The first time someone used the term was in 1978, and since then it’s become a common “diagnosis” when people hit a point of resistance in their belief to do something great.
You know the feeling…
You sit down. You’re ready to work, and all of a sudden it wakes up. It starts to slow you down, distract you, and even deceive you into believing that the work you want to do can’t be done because you don’t have enough authority, enough influence, or enough experience.
The voice makes you feel like you’re posing.
But what if I told you that voice is a signal that you’re moving in the right direction—because that’s exactly what it is.
Today, let’s put that voice in its place. Say it with me:
“I am not an imposter.”
The War in Your Head
You may already know this, but imposter syndrome isn’t really a “syndrome” at all? Not in the classic sense anyway. Regardless, the anxiety it breeds can still be just as debilitating. When it comes to traction, imposter syndrome is like the sludge that keeps your engine from moving.
Creators know the struggle.
“You really think you can get this done?”
“Will it be as good as…[you know who]?”
“This is so stupid. I look dumb talking to a camera.”
“No one cares what I have to say.”
Whenever you want to get started, something (or someone) is always trying to stop you.
This is what Steven Pressfield called “Resistance,” in his mandatory-read-for-all-creators, The War of Art. (It really is a mandatory read for all creators. It’s that good. You’re welcome.)
Whether it’s called Resistance, Imposter Syndrome—and to those who don’t understand the creative process—laziness; whatever it gets called, this and every other form of delay keeps us stuck, fills us with self-doubt and keeps us from seeing the momentum we all want in our work.
So how do you beat it?
Well, you don’t.
Any athlete will tell you. When you’re training, you don’t fight resistance. You use it. Resistance, as much as it can hurt, is precisely what makes you stronger, faster, and sharper. In the beginning, resistance might kick your butt, but that’s only because in the beginning no one’s prepared for it. But every time you come back, you learn a little bit more about it, where it’s coming from, when it hurts the most, and thus, when to push the hardest.
Resistance can work in two ways. It can be a force to stop you, or it can be the force that makes you stronger.
Use the second one.
How to Find Clarity and Cultivate Creativity
Ask people who have done well, and you’ll hear common threads. You’ll hear people say they stopped being afraid to fail.
In other cases you’ll hear people talk about how they got clear about what they wanted, and how that helped set the tone for everything else after—especially understanding how “failure” was a necessary part of the process.
If you feel like the resistance you experience keeps you from having clarity about your identity, calling, purpose, and drive, this framework can be a useful tool to help you along the journey.
The IMAGEN (as in, “imagine”) Framework:
- Identity: Who are you? What drives you? What do you stand for? Why do you care about what you care about?
- Message: What problem are you uniquely capable of solving?
- Audience: Who’s problem is it? Where are they? How bad does it hurt?
- Goals: What do you want to achieve, immediately and ultimately?
- Execution: What’s the one thing you can do, that by doing it, makes everything else easier or unnecessary?
- No: Say “No.” Where do you need to say “No”, to focus on where to say YES?
I – Identity: Who are you becoming?
Identity isn’t just about what you do. It’s about who you are. Not only that, it’s about who you are becoming. Every story is one of transformation, and yours is no different.
Pressfield talks about “turning pro.” But you don’t just “turn pro.”
You become pro.
That transformation begins by taking an honest assessment of where you’re at. Just like lifting weights for the first time (or after a lengthy hiatus), resistance is harder and heavier than you remember. But that’s ok! Don’t fall into the trap, or believe the lie, that just because it’s this hard now, it will always be that hard, so don’t bother trying. That’s nonsense.
Everything you want is just on the other side of hard.
Same goes for creativity and your story. The hard part is front loaded when you have to ask yourself questions that are too deep for small talk. But if you don’t quit, you’ll uncover more source material for your creativity than you probably thought possible. Why?
Because the greatest source of creativity is your story.
Couple that with design inspiration and your specific taste, and you have what’s called, “a POV,” or a perspective.
This is what makes you stand out because it’s what makes everyone unique.
This is your voice.
Your quirky take on today’s trend is exactly what will make your work your work. So when you put it out there, you won’t get everyone’s attention, but you’ll get the right people’s attention.
That’s why the best way to market yourself is to become yourself.
Stop trying to be the next (fill in the blank). Be the first you.
What you’ll find is that there are a lot more people out there going through similar things that you’ve gone through; people facing similar problems that you’ve gotten past. You can help them solve those problems, bring order where they see chaos, and help them tell themselves a much better story.
So here’s help to get you more clear about yours.
M – Message: What are you saying?
Remember in every story, the main character (the hero) has a goal that’s hard to reach because of an obstacle. The hero is stuck, until a guide (or coach, or counselor) takes them down a path that leads to a transformation as they reach their goal.
What you don’t often see in the beginning is that the path is the destination, much more than reaching the goal is.
For your clients, you are that guide.
But in your story, YOU are the one who needs a guide.
So use these questions as a guide to clarify your message.
- What’s the problem your unique abilities solve?
- What’s the transformation you can help your clients or audience experience on the way towards that solution?
A clear message can push through resistance like a bodybuilder doing push ups. It’s challenging at first, but once you’ve done the hard work to grow through it, everything gets so much easier and the results speak for themselves.
A – Audience: Who is hearing you?
When you speak, who’s listening?
Remember that question about the problem your unique abilities solve? Who is having those problems?
Think about that for a minute and write down who that person is. Where do they spend their time? What kind of media do they consume? What kind of limiting beliefs do they have (HINT: probably not that different from yours)?
Remember, you’re not trying to appeal to everyone. That’s the trap.
So when the volume of that voice starts to climb, remember it’s a signal to make sure you’ve been clear about who you are, what you’re saying and who’s supposed to hear it.
Everything else is just noise. Your people will know your voice. Put it out there, build your audience and point them in the right direction to achieve their goals.
G – Goals: Where are you going?
“What do you want to achieve?” It’s a great question for you and your audience.
You can build a business that helps you do both. People pay a premium to those that have a plan to help them find success (their dream outcome) and avoid failure (wasted effort and sacrifice).
Remember what I said about clear identity, message and audience.
When those are clear, goal setting gets much simpler.
- What Goliath are you standing up against?
- What does the future look like?
- How is the world different when it’s done?
- What do you want to do in a given set of time?
You can use the SMART framework. But I also like one called the NICE framework, created by Ali Abdaal.
- Near Term – Break down big, hairy, audacious goals into smaller, doable, daily or weekly goals.
- Input Based – Instead of dollars you want to make, set a goal for the number of videos you create.
- Controllable – Make sure you have full control and inputs are dependent on others.
- Energizing – The more fun, the more clear, the more likely to achieve.
PRO TIP: villains in the story usually make it more compelling.
Big goals might scare you. That’s normal.
If they don’t, they’re probably not big enough.
Big goals will always wake a sleeping giant. But like David, through experience, you’ll be prepared to bring that giant down, by creating NICE goals, and taking the first steps to get things done.
E – Execution: How will you get it done?
First, start.
There’ve never been more tools to help you get started than there are today.
Here’s a couple that can help you take that step.
If your business is online, you need a website—period.
In the same way your uniqueness helps you stand out, a unique website helps you do the same online. Whether you design websites for clients, or need a fresh look of your own, platforms like Showit and others give you the creative freedom to design the way you think so that your website, like you, is unique.
When you build a great website, you’ll need a tool to capture emails from new visitors that come visit. This is called lead capture.
When people come to your site, offer them a resource that helps them solve a problem. In exchange, ask for their email address to send the resource, and now you have reliable contact information from someone interested in what you have to offer.
This is how you beat the algorithm:
- Create content with the special sauce of your story to generate traffic.
- Direct that traffic to a landing page on your website.
- Create a resource to help you capture leads and email addresses.
- Add those emails to a personalized email campaign.
- Broadcast your message knowing everyone who you intended to see it, will see it.
You just need to take the first step.
N – Learn to say “NO”: Where is your focus?
The one thing that will “hockey stick” your growth trajectory in business is the discipline of focus.
Eliud Kipchoge, world-record marathon runner, talked about this when he was asked what it takes for someone to gain more discipline. “Rule number one,” he says, “Inject yourself with Vitamin N”—learn to say no.
We’ve all heard the adage, “the riches are in niches.”
That’s focus.
It’s one of the best disciplines you can develop on your creative journey.
Conclusion
One final takeaway:
Don’t do this alone.
I’ve become convinced that it’s not simply too much work that burns you out.
Isolation does.
That voice in your head sounds the loudest when you’re alone.
The best thing you can do for your health physically, mentally, emotionally and creatively, is to immerse yourself where other people are running with the same intensity and passion you are. The most significant growth in your journey will often come from those relationships.
Surround yourself with people who inspire you, challenge you, and will believe in you during those times when you struggle to believe in yourself. Conferences, local meetups, and masterminds are great environments designed precisely for those kinds of relationships to happen organically.
Those are the voices you want in your life and in your head.
Take advantage of them. Your future self will thank you.
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