Impostor syndrome?

I had no idea there was even such a thing. Did you? But evidently there is. I just found out about it in an article I read over on Copyblogger.  You can learn more about it by reading the Wiki definition here.

At first I wasn’t going to read the article because it was referencing freelance writers and marketing their businesses. But I quickly got sucked in and soon realized that whether you’re a freelance writer or not, the issues mentioned were very valid and something all of us (at least I know I have) have or do struggle with sometimes.

I’m the first to admit I have a horrible time marketing my business. Not just because I don’t like to be self-promotional, but because sometimes I struggle with a lot of insecurity. This part of the article was a huge light bulb moment:

Maybe you’ve received a glowing recommendation from a client, had your guest post published on a massively popular blog, or landed a six-figure contract — anything that’s brought you attention, opportunities, and authority. Despite these accomplishments, you don’t think you deserve recognition. Impostor syndrome is the inability to internalize success. If you’ve ever deflected a compliment about your work, or given credit to something or someone other than yourself, it may be because you felt like an impostor.

Suddenly a lot of stuff (that I do) makes sense and gives me a lot of insight into why I react/handle things the way I sometimes do. Anyways, there is a lot of good stuff in the article that really made me stop and think. I could keep writing, but I’ll end it here.

I really encourage you to visit How to Market Your Freelance Business Without Feeling Like an Impostor to find out if you suffer from Impostor Syndrome and how to overcome it if you do.

Photo Credit: Flick Creative Commons image via RHL Images