You want financial freedom, but you have that nagging doubt that you’re completely winging it and you’re going to get found out soon. I get it.
We’ve all been there, and it’s called imposter syndrome.
Oddly, this often stems from the fact that you find your job easy. Too easy, in fact.
Surely, if it’s this straightforward, anyone can do it. Why are you being paid to do something so simple? There must be more to it. And THAT means you’re going to get ‘found out’ and shown the exit sooner or later.
Guess what? The fact you find it easy means you’re brilliant at what you do. Unfortunately, the imposter syndrome mindset is preventing you from valuing your work, skill, and impact.
We need to get that sorted, pronto.
Work isn’t meant to be hard
If something’s easy, that’s a good thing. If, on the other hand, you battle each day with a task which seems nigh-on impossible to complete, something’s wrong.
When dealing with imposter syndrome, it’s vitally important to keep in mind that others don’t find your work easy. You’ve practised it and do it every day. You get in flow when you work. The same can’t be said for them.
You’re fascinated by whatever it is you do - they aren’t.
You have a set of very particular skills - they have their own, and they’re probably completely different from yours.
Remember: the VALUE of your work has no bearing on how easy it is for you! That’s why value-based pricing remains one of the best and most important strategies available to any business.
What matters is how your skill helps your clients solve the problems they care about.
Finding value in your time
If you listen to the government, you’ll believe that we should all strive to become “hardworking [British] people”.
This is rubbish.
It sounds like hard work is somehow a virtue - something to be praised. But what happened to the motto “work smarter, not harder”?
That can easily be dismissed as business BS, but if you’re finding something easy and doing well out of it, you’re living by that mantra. And it’s the RIGHT thing to do!
Working hard isn’t linked to worthiness. If it was, that would mean the things we find easy are somehow not worth as much.
Doesn’t sound right, does it?
You can still position yourself as an expert and find whatever service you provide clients easy. After all, when you’re in the flow of producing high-quality work, time absolutely flies. Therefore, no matter how long that time lasts, if the end result is stellar, it has serious value.
Your impact on clients
Value in business comes from the impact you have on your clients’ lives - not from how hard the work is to provide them with solutions.
Imposter syndrome is a tough thing to deal with, but you just have to continually remind yourself that not everyone finds what you do easy. Many won’t even bother giving it a go.
Don’t devalue your work because you find it easy. In doing so, you’ll damage your self-confidence and dilute the influence your brand can have.
Celebrate what you find easy! Do more of it! Work isn’t meant to be hard; it’s far more valuable to others when you’re in the zone and breezing through it.
