Becoming a Self-Published Author, a Series: Pt. 1, Releasing Imposter Syndrome

Perfectionism, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome are your dream's worst nightmare. 

Let’s face it, we live in a world now where the pressure is high, and everyone is grinding to achieve their goals. Even though people are putting in work, there are still many ways that self-doubt, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome comes crashing in and makes us feel as if what we are doing is not enough. Even when we are accomplishing our goals and doing what we have set out to do successfully, we tend to question whether or not we deserve the success. We question whether or not we are qualified. We question whether or not our accomplishments are worthy of celebrating, or if they have just occurred because of luck or for any reason that is outside of ourselves and the work we’ve done to get there. 

This is imposter syndrome; and whenever experiencing any of these —whenever you are questioning any of your unique talents and abilities— you need to remind yourself that who you are, your unique voice, your presence, and what you bring into every space you enter, is enough to bring you the successes you are achieving. You are deserving of all of the success, abundance, and prosperity that comes your way. And you deserve to enjoy them.

Imposter syndrome does not positively serve you in any way; self-doubt and feeling like a fraud is only a hindrance to your growth and success. But if ever feeling those things, let this serve as your reminder that remembering who you are, and remembering to see yourself in a higher light are part of the first steps you can take to free yourself from the shackles of perfectionism, self-doubt, low self-confidence, and imposter syndrome. These are some ways that I have found best helped me to release imposter syndrome, especially in order for me to become a self-published author at 21! 

1. Remember who you are. 

This is CRUCIAL. Remembering who you are is one of the best ways you can free yourself from the shackles of self-doubt, the fuel of imposter syndrome. If you spend time really reflecting on all that you have accomplished; all that you have outgrown; all that you have experienced; all of the things that have led you to where you are currently; all of your talents and abilities; and all of the things that you are creatively gifted at, it will be very easy for you to see that you deserve to be exactly where you are, surrounded by the wondrous fruits of your labor. Regardless of what you may be currently experiencing, in remembering who you are, you will be giving yourself more compassion and more space to see yourself in full. And by having compassion for yourself and the journey you’ve been on, you will gain the self- respect, -love, and -dignity necessary for you to accept your successes, and where your successes take you, with ease. 

You are not a reflection of how other people treat you, nor a reflection of your current circumstances. You are you, and who you are in your entirety is someone who is worthy of achieving and enjoying everything that you are currently succeeding in, and everything you wish to achieve in the future. You are someone who has immense light and gifts to share with humanity in whatever medium you choose. You are a light in this world, and this world needs you to remember who you are so you can make it a better place.

This was the first step for me in my author journey. I truly needed to return to me, and to return to who I was and what I was interested in before this world began to project its darkness onto me. Going back to who I was at the beginning took me on an incredibly insightful journey of learning what brings me joy, what I can achieve if I get out of my own way (like writing a book!), and how healing my inner child is at the center of all of this, which Azé explains so eloquently here. 

2. See yourself in a higher light and let go of perfectionism. 

Being extremely high achieving and a perfectionist may have been helpful before, but it is not something that will always have positive effects. In being a perfectionist, you may become more prone to always seeing the negative in things: always finding issues with how you’ve done things, always harping on everything that needs improvement, and everything that needs fixing. Sorry, but let’s put that to a stop. In order to release self-doubt and perfectionism, which only deepens feelings of anxiety and depression and imposter syndrome, allow yourself to see yourself in a higher light. 

How would a best friend describe you? How would someone who looks up to you describe you? How would someone who believes in you, even if that someone is you, describe you? How happy would your younger self be in seeing all of the things you’ve overcome and accomplished? How would they describe you? 

Write down all of your accomplishments and successes within the past week, month and year. Remember all of the positive things you have done in your lifetime and all of the ways you have made radical positive changes for yourself and those around you. Remember all of the experiences that you have had, and despite their difficulties, what they taught you and how those experiences made you extremely equipped and deserving to live the life of your choice and succeed at it. 

For me, I really needed to see all of what I have already done as valuable in order for me to release imposter syndrome, and allow myself to move forward to the next step of my journey to publishing my first book. I needed to remember and value that in my early teens, I was already writing poetry that has had positive impacts on myself and my community. Remembering this allowed me to finally celebrate my accomplishments and recognize that my words and my work have value and that they are worthy of being shared on a large scale.

3. Turning Self-Doubt Into Self-Confidence 

We hear this so often, and in my experience, it’s held true every time: you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Only you can jeopardize opportunities that are meant for you. I know that may be hard to believe but things that are meant for you, that are destined for you, can NEVER miss you. You will always be in the right place to receive the opportunities that are fated for you to have. However, if you doubt that the opportunities that you are receiving are for you, and you navigate your opportunities with the mindset that you do not belong, that you’re not deserving and that you’re not capable, you may let that opportunity you are sitting in slip away from you. Slip right out of your fingers, because you didn’t fully take advantage of what was in front of you. 

That self-doubt, festering in your mind, preventing you from speaking up, sharing your bold and grand ideas that can monumentally shift your life, your loved ones lives, and the world in a positive direction is damaging and feeding your imposter syndrome. Instead of fully taking advantage of the opportunities in front of you, operating in a place of fear, doubt, and perfectionism is messing up not only your confidence, but your opportunities. 

What if instead of feeling immense doubt in spaces that you occupy, you remind yourself that you deserve to fully take advantage of the opportunities in front of you? What if instead of constantly doubting yourself, you navigated like you’re meant to be there and soar? Instead of trying to shy away from celebrating yourself and your accomplishments, or shying away from pursuing goals and dreams because of doubt, allow yourself to move forward with a sense of surety, knowing that your contributions to any space you enter is worthy. 

Who would you be if you shined your light brightly, instead of dimming it? Who would you be if instead of placing a question mark at your talents and successes you put a period?

Imposter syndrome can be such an exhausting and soul-crushing experience. It truly tries to convince you that you are not worthy of all of the success that surrounds you and all the opportunities that are coming your way. Regardless of whatever field you may be in or trying to enter, regardless of whatever goals you may have, if you are struggling with imposter syndrome, it is imperative that you remember who you are, you see yourself in a higher light and release perfectionism, so that you may begin to transmute your self-doubt into self -respect, -love, -confidence and openness to receiving your well-earned rewards and blessings.

 There is so much success that already surrounds you presently and one of the easiest ways to begin to see that success and to fully take advantage of the opportunities that life has to offer is to begin that journey of releasing imposter syndrome, healing your inner child, and shining your light brightly. 

We believe in you. You got this.

Love, 

Sierra