Imposter Syndrome.

Today I felt like I needed to address something that has affected my life for some time. This morning I was speaking to Tyler about growing the business by finding a new line of products we're going to release in the coming weeks and months. At the moment, I have been given the task to do some product research by using strategies in a course I've been watching. This conversation lead to a rather emotional discussion about my insecurities working on the business and Tyler pointed out that I have text-book Imposter Syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is pattern where you continuously doubt your accomplishments and feel like you've only succeeded due to luck, rather than your talents or qualifications. Now that I think about it, this is something that I've had for quite a while now, even before I met Tyler. I would constantly doubt my ability to perform, in any hobby I've had or exam I've done, even though my results would say otherwise. And now, that I'm with Tyler, its become so much more apparent to me.

When I went to see my Dad last year, he mentioned it when we were sat round the table having dinner. Just for reference, my Dad has an influential position in the CAA and meets a lot of successful people. He said that he felt like he had imposter syndrome in a particular meeting he was in, even though he's had a lot of experience and knowledge to qualify him to be in that room. I remembered thinking 'that sounds exactly how I feel a lot of the time'.

So, I met Tyler back in 2017 and since my A levels finished in 2018 I've been helping Tyler with his business. Tyler has an e-commerce business that sells through Shopify and Amazon and he's been really successful with it. I've been learning a lot from doing product research, customer service, copywriting, product photography & video content as well as watching Tyler, asking questions and listening in on calls. I've also read & listened to a few entrepreneurial books and built my credit profile to a great standard which lead me to be able to buy an apartment with Tyler back in December. A lot of the time, I feel anxious because I feel unworthy of my position. I get thoughts like 'people might think I'm a gold digger', 'I would never be able to afford this place without Tyler', 'I would know nothing about business if I hadn't been in a relationship with him', 'people won't respect me for who I am because they'll think I don't deserve it' 'I didn't build the business so why am I getting the benefits of it', 'what do I say if people ask how I afforded this place?' etc, etc.

I always feel a bit awkward talking about the business to people too because it's not something I've built so I don't want to take the credit. I also feel bad giving my younger siblings advice because I feel like I fell into this circumstance so my advice is based on luck rather than a strategic process I made to be here. I have a lot of anxiety about this and it's something I need to progress through and just stop caring what others think. I just need to keep on grinding and not let these insecurities hold me back, because I know in 5, 10 years, if I haven't progressed due to insecurity, I will regret it big time. Tyler has taught me so much and shown me a world of business I never knew existed. I just need to take advantage of my situation and own it. 👊🏻

I thought I'd write this as a way to get all my emotions out and hoping that someone will see it and know that it's ok to have insecurities, just don't let them hold you back from success.

Thank you for reading,

Sophie 🐻