I have a little secret I’d like to share: I used to suffer from Impostor Syndrome. It’s a psychological disorder that says incredibly negative things to your brain: “You’ve made some great accomplishments (made a great demo…booked your first paying VO gig …got some great clients, etc., BUT…you’re really not qualified. It was just luck, and you really don’t deserve it.” Cow Manure.
This mental malady manifests in different personality traits. Here are a “mantras” I used to combat them:
I Don’t Know Everything – I will be the first to admit…I dunno.
I’m Not Perfect: Mistakes make you smarter!
I Don’t Try To Do It All: I love commercials and promos. This is my focus right now, and I’m working on being better at them.
I Don’t Need Anyone: I can’t do it alone. I used to (and sometimes still do) have trust issues. This is a crippling characteristic that kept me from developing great business relationships. Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime (channeling Dean Martin). I need training, accountability buddies, and someone to share a pizza with.
The long short of it: What’s going on in your mind, isn’t what’s really going on. You are where you are today because you really do deserve to be there. And by the way…I’m no expert on this subject. ????
