Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: How I Wrote My First Children's Book

I am new to this, all of it; writing books, social media, blogging. It’s so far out of my comfort zone that I can barely see it anymore. But I thought it was time to see what I am really capable of and challenge myself to achieve more. So here I am, writing children’s books, and a blog about it.

Almost overnight I became an author, editor and publisher. What inevitably came with these new titles? My age old friend; imposter syndrome. Me and imposter syndrome have been friends for as long as I can remember, we know each other so well and yet, not at all. What I mean by that is I am very aware of what it is, when I feel it and when it is holding me back, but what I have never understood is why it follows me, what triggers it and how to overcome it. I know I am not alone, so many suffer with it.  I thought to help me continue to overcome it, I would write a little about how I got as far as I have and with my little friend; imposter syndrome right by my side.

So let’s start with what it is…

Imposter syndrome is a common phenomenon where individuals feel like they're not good enough or that they don't deserve their successes. It is the self-doubt, that little voice in your head that undermines your skills, talents, and accomplishments. Many of us have a persistent internalised fear of being exposed as frauds because of it.

How did I push past it?

Firstly I recognised the signs

·        Feeling like I am just pretending to be a writer

·        Believing that others are better qualified or more talented than me

·        Feeling anxious about my writing abilities, grammar and spellings

·        Avoid sharing my ideas

Then I attempted to challenge my negative thoughts

Imposter syndrome thrives on negative self-talk. I had to create a pattern of talking back to it, have my inner monologue take my side, have my back and put my negative thoughts back in their place. I ask myself a lot "Is this thought really true?" This will normally ground me a little.

I tried to focus on just having a good time writing

One of the most significant challenges of imposter syndrome is comparing yourself to others. Instead of comparing, I focused on letting it just be something that made me happy. No pressure, no perfectionism, just have a bit of fun writing something down. I just let the journey unfold on its own.

Then I had to get real good at practicing self-compassion

I had to remember to be kind and gentle to myself. Writing is a process, and I am new to it. I had to get good at accepting that I will make mistakes; and I did. I missed grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and I had to learn about digital formatting.  It was all alien to me and was a learning curve I had to accept. But guess what? I did it; bit by bit. I took each obstacle as an isolated one and moved on to the next. I never let my negative thoughts become the loudest ones.

So what am I trying to say in the blog?

You can do it too. Just start and if you can shout louder that your little friend, imposter syndrome, then it might actually become a motivator to be the writer you want to be.