So what is imposter syndrome and how can you potentially overcome it as a writer. Imposter syndrome is a kind of psychological occurrence that involves feelings of self-doubt and incompetence that persist despite your knowledge, experience, and education. You feel like a phony and incompetent to do anything that you want to become and succeed in your life.

If you are in that kind of feeling remember that you’re not alone in this. This happens to everybody who’s congruent to start something new and passionate to make them successful in life.

Let talk about how to overcome imposter syndrome, specifically we’re talking about imposter syndrome for content writers.

I receive numerous questions saying I’ve got imposter syndrome, you’re telling me to start freelance writing, I understand, that’s the way I should get going, that’s the best way to start an online business but I’m not a writer, I’m not a business person, I’m not an entrepreneur … I don’t know what to do…

So if you’re feeling imposter syndrome specifically if you’re starting something online whether it be freelancing or blogging then you’re in the right place. It’s kind of an imposter syndrome therapy that will help you out down the road.

I’m gonna help you push past that and start making money and build a sustainable online business that you can run from anywhere that gives you more time to do the things you like to do because everyone wants to have time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom.

1 Everybody Has to Start Somewhere

The first thing to remember when it comes to imposter syndrome, is everybody, every single person that starts a freelance writing business they had to start somewhere.

There was a time when every single freelancer had never made a dollar online so every person you are aspiring to be like they have been where you are. This is just the beginning stage so hopefully, that helps you just kind of recognize this isn’t unique that particularly relates to you. You’re not the only one that feels this way and it’s all part of the process. It can be a little scary, it’d be a little daunting you can feel like an imposter but everybody starts somewhere so don’t forget that.

2 Every Body is a Writer

The second thing to remember is that just about everybody is a writer. Some people are better at it than others, and some people are better at different types of freelance writing. Some people are just kind of getting going maybe you haven’t even graduated high school but if you can write at all you are a writer. So you need to change your thought process from I want to be a writer to I am a writer. Change it from I want to be a freelance writer to I am a freelance writer.

You may not have gotten paid yet but I am open and I am available to get paid to write which makes you a freelance writer. So remember that just because you haven’t been paid yet doesn’t mean you’re not capable of doing it that doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough to do it. it just means that you’re just getting started but changing that mindset from “I want to be” to “I am” is going to make it a lot easier to move forward with confidence as you were looking for your first jobs.

3 They Say “No”

The third thing when you’re thinking about imposter syndrome as it relates to freelance writing this is the thing everybody is afraid of the worst thing that can happen if you send a letter of introduction if you send an email if you send a pitch, the very worst thing that can happen you probably know that they say “No”

OK, they said “NO” then move on to the next one. you’re going to send hundreds if not thousands of cold pitches, and cold introductions over the course of your freelance writing career 95% of those people are going to say no or they won’t respond which is essentially the same thing.

So the sooner you get that out of the way and you become okay with no, you become okay with no response you become okay with the fact that it’s not personal it’s not a judgment on you, it’s not saying you’re not worthy or you’re not good it’s just part of the process a lot of those people are saying I don’t need a writer right now so I’m just not gonna respond. Some of those people are saying you’re not the right type of writer for me and that’s okay. You’re not going to be for everybody.

So just keep that in mind the worst thing the worst thing that can happen when you start pitching is they say no and with every single no you get two things to happen once you get closer to the first yes but more importantly two with every no you get, you become more okay with no and you’ll be like I was expecting him to say no this isn’t so bad now it’s just like all right on to the next and then after you’ve had a few dozen no’s it’s just Part of the process.

If you get to the point where you’ve had a few dozen no’s then you might need to kind of tweak your approach, tweak your template, tweak the way you’re reaching out to people. Having all that to say the more No’s you get the closer you’re getting to a Yes and if you get an obscene amount of nose it’s probably time to change your pitch a little bit.

4 The Relative Expert

The last thing I want you to keep in mind when it comes to imposter syndrome as a freelancer is the idea of the relative expert. There’s a good chance you’re starting as a generalist. you’re going to be writing about all sorts of topics that you know nothing about and you might be like yeah like I don’t know anything about “Pool Care” and you want me to write 10 articles about pool maintenance like ahh!…. I’m gonna dive into imposter syndrome! Right?

So if someone comes to you and they’re like I need you to write about any random topic all you have to do is spend a little bit of time getting to the point where you are a little bit more knowledgeable than the average person in order to be able to do this.

So let’s say someone hires you to write an article about consumer drones you might be like I know nothing about drones but in an hour you could watch some YouTube videos you can spend some time surfing the internet and you can get to the point where you know more about drones than most people. You are an expert relative to them and that’s all you need in order to be a freelance writer.

You just need to be an expert relative to the average person you don’t need to be an expert on everything you write about, you just got to know just enough to make it seem like you’re an expert and once you learn that skill you’ll never be an imposter again, I bet you.

Because you recognize that is your skill that is your secret sauce to be able to learn about something quickly and put together a coherent piece of content about that thing. So if you’re feeling like an imposter I want you to keep these things in mind every single freelance writer that you aspire to be like, has been exactly where you are right now.

The worst thing that can happen when you start reaching out to people is they say No and the more no’s you get the closer that’s going to get you to having a “Yes”. You don’t have to know everything about everything. You just need to know enough to be a little bit more educated than the average person or the person that’s going to be reading your content.

So those are the things that I personally think about when I start getting those tinges of imposter syndrome with anything that I do.

Just remember if someone hires you to do something and you’re not sure exactly what to do you’re a little nervous you’re still feeling like an imposter. Google is your friend you can google the answer to just about anything and on top of that, I encourage you to find a supportive community of people that get it. Stay connected with the community of people that are doing the same things as you. People that have been there done that, people that can mentor you help you, and give you the feedback you need.

So you can push through that uncomfortable period where you feel like an imposter gets that job done and have way more confidence for the next move.

Also Check:  how to become a freelance writer