I recently posted a video on my LinkedIn about "not being good enough."
On the one hand, I was thrilled to join Catalyst. It was literally on my "dream company" list. But on the other hand, the little voice inside my head was telling me I probably wasn't cut out for the position.
I was too green.
I was too inexperienced on so many levels.
Three months into this job and here's what I have to say:
That little voice is 💩(it's total poop)!
So why am I telling you this? Because that little voice is especially potent during the beginning of your brand building journey.
I want to show you how to fool that little voice of yours to get you out of that mindset and into taking your first steps confidently.
Are YOU good enough?
Who's asking? Let's start with that.
Who wants to know whether or not YOU are good enough? If it's you, your answer should always be yes. And if it's anyone else, the answer is, why do they get to have a say in this?
I'm not trying to Oprah you right now with the inspirational talk, but this is usually the first hurdle.
You don't believe what you have to say is good enough to put out into the world. So you start feeding that little voice and before you know it, you're convinced that this isn't for you and it's a total waste of time.
I'm here to tell you that what you have to say matters.
Everyone has different interests, experiences, and journeys and you're entitled to share your story. As my good friend would say, "be a little more entitled."
Is what you have to say good enough?
If you struggle with the feeling of "what I have to say isn't good enough," take a different approach –– don't talk about yourself.
Instead, you can talk about an event you attended, a book you read, a podcast you listened to, a post that someone else shared, a friend of yours who had success doing XYZ, etc. This is a great way of putting yourself out there while not really putting yourself out there.
When you're ready, you can start sneaking in a post or two about your experience. When I first started posting on LinkedIn, I rarely talked about my experiences. I stuck to posts about a podcast I was recapping or asking general questions like book recommendations.
It wasn't until one day I posted an opinion about my stance on Sales <> Success. Not gonna lie, when I hit "Publish," I was a ball of nerves.
But off it went and surprisingly, it was well-received. #babysteps
Your worth is not tied to likes/comments
One thing I hate about that little voice is that it grows when it does not see results. The hard truth is that you're probably not going to be seeing results at the beginning of your journey. This is going to make you want to stop because "obviously, no one cares."
This is a trap!
That circle represents months and months of trying to"figuring it out."
Posting and getting maybe a like or two.
Posting and feeling rejected.
Posting and nothingness.
It took months to see any traction!
I tell you this so that you can negotiate with the little voice inside your head. The likes and comments will be a hit of dopamine you'll likely not be getting early on but it isn't a sign that you should quit. This is just part of the journey.
Action Items
Acknowledge your "little voice" (a.k.a imposter syndrome) but put it in its place 💪
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