"Repeat After Me: I Am Not an Imposter."

The other day I asked on Instagram what everyone was currently struggling with. My heart broke when I received a message from a close friend that said she was struggling with imposter syndrome. Girl, same. What made me so sad about this message is that I can see how much success she's having. I can see how talented she is, I can see (and have experienced) the happiness and confidence people get from her work. It made me realize that I'm not doing a good enough job as a friend to keep on encouraging her. It also made me realize that I have the same feelings of being imposter all the time but I don't actually know how to cope with them or help my friends work their way through it either.

Pin this to save it for later!

Did you know that Imposter Syndrome was a phrase that psychologists came up when they were trying to figure out why high achieving women say their achievements were all because of luck and not because they actually did the damn thing? How many times have you heard a friend, coworker, or role model say something like, "I just got lucky." I've personally seen this a lot when it comes to success on social media. I've personally felt it a lot when it comes to my own success on social media and in the influencer industry.

I can sit here all day chatting with you about what makes you NOT an imposter but the truth is, friend, that nothing I say is really going to help unless YOU believe it. So instead of that here are a few things I want you to do RIGHT NOW and repeat as necessary every time those feelings come up.

1. Make a "go me" folder, save reviews from clients, nice things people have said about you, etc. View this often!

2. Find a mentor or friend in your field and talk with them

3. Make a list of your strengths and accomplishments, refer back to this when you need reminding

4. Refocus on what YOU are doing (aka don't get too caught up in what other people are doing, HELLO note to self)

5. Get real with yourself, ask why you're feeling the way you're feeling, write it down

So let's work on this together, sister. I know we all struggle with equating our success with luck instead of our own hard work. Can we make a pact to end that right now? Can we promise to reach out to each other when these feelings sneak up on us? I promise you are not an imposter.