Being yourself and believing in yourself is not always easy. Especially freelancers sometimes struggle with it because of that negative little voice in their head called ‘imposter syndrome’. We would like to give you some tips to boost your self-confidence.
You know it for sure: you definitely don’t have the right qualifications or experience. Nay, this job is really overrated. Recognisable? That feeling of not being good enough is imposter syndrome. No matter how well prepared you are, you always have the thought of not being good enough or underperforming. This makes you feel insecure and afraid of one day coming through as an ‘imposter’.
Imposter syndrome involves a collection of personality traits: people with imposter syndrome often set the bar far too high for themselves. They underestimate their own achievements and think they are not good enough. Even if they have a diploma, a good job and an environment that supports them, they still feel insecure and think they cannot do certain things. They are afraid of failing. And if they do succeed, they believe it is not because of their hard work but because of dumb luck and chance.
No less than 70% of people experience this fear at least once in their professional lives. And freelancers have an even harder time with this due to competition and the lack of a boss or colleagues for feedback. However, when you realise that almost all of us therefore feel this way sometimes, it already puts everything in a completely different perspective …
We offer a few tips to boost your self-confidence and not give Imposter Syndrome a chance:
- Don’t be afraid to celebrate your achievements. Save that positive thank-you email or that great feedback from your client. And why not print it out and hang it above your desk or by the coffee machine as a reminder?
- Don’t minimise your part in the success of an event (although don’t get too carried away, of course). That’s how you bring yourself down.
- Believe it when people tell you they love the job you did. They don’t say that for nothing!
- Not sure if a client liked your job? Why not just ask? In your next conversation, ask if they are happy with what you put down and if there are any things you could possibly improve.
- Talk to other freelancers doing similar work or operating in the same industry. You can, of course, ask them for feedback. But why not also share something you are proud of? Share your success stories or work you are really proud of with your fellow freelancers.
- In the months when the event calendar is calmer, if you have the time and opportunity, you can attend courses or master classes to learn new things and boost your self-confidence.
Source: Freelancers in Belgium
