Episode 232: 5 Tips for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Your Journey to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

Full Episode Transcription:

[00:00:00] Now, today we are diving deep into a topic that so many of us can relate to, and that is overcoming Imposter syndrome. If you’ve ever felt like a fraud or doubted your abilities, you are totally not alone. And you don’t have to worry. With God supporting us and a few practical tools, we can conquer these feelings and overcome them. Let’s just go ahead and jump right in. Imposter syndrome can creep into our lives making us question our capabilities and leaving us just feeling inadequate. Inadequate, how do you say that word? I don’t know, but just leaves us feeling like we’re not enough. I want to read a couple verses for you that are going to help you when it comes to imposter syndrome, and then I’m also gonna give you some tactical things you can do as well. But as always, we wanna start with what God has to say.

[00:00:54] So first verse I have for you is Psalm 139:14: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well.” Remember you guys, you are fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving creator. The only fear God wants us to have is fear of harm. It’s essential to recognize the signs of imposter syndrome and understand that it’s a common struggle, many face, but that we don’t have to face. God doesn’t want us to have these fears, these feelings of inadequacy. All the things.

[00:01:29] Okay, the next verse I have for you is 2 Timothy 1:7, “for the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” Embrace this divine strength God has given you and press forward with confidence. So as you embark on your journey to becoming a virtual assistant, it is totally natural to feel a bit out of your comfort zone. We just have to take comfort in knowing that the spirit God gave you does not make you timid. What empowers you with strengths, love, and self-discipline.

[00:02:02] Okay, one more I have for you, Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged for the Lord. Your God will be with you wherever you go.” I think that says it for itself. God is with you so we don’t have to be afraid. Okay. All right, so I do, like I said, I have a couple different tactics for you that you can kind of start putting into your life to help you with overcoming those feelings of imposter syndrome. I’ve got five different strategies to help you with that.

[00:02:38] So number one is to reframe your negative thoughts. You wanna challenge those self-doubts and the negative self-talk that you’re giving yourself. You can replace those with positive affirmations that are rooted in God’s truth. So you can find Bible verses and then kind of change the wording to make it speak directly to you. So for example, Judges 6:12 is, “the Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” You could change that to the Lord is with me. I am a mighty warrior. So you can do things like that and make sure you post them in a place where you will see them every single day. One really great place to utilize these positive affirmations in your day is in your morning routine, and I talked all about an effective morning routine in episode 227, so go check that out if you need some help with that.

[00:03:34] All right. The second strategy for overcoming Imposter syndrome is embracing the growth mindset. So you wanna shift your focus from feeling like you have to be perfect in everything. To transition that into just knowing that it’s okay if you’re just making progress. You wanna embrace the learning journey and the opportunities for growth that lie ahead of you. So when you’re new to something, it’s never gonna be easy. You’re going to make mistakes. But as long as you keep pushing through and don’t quit, that’s okay. We all make mistakes in something we don’t know how to do. You don’t have to feel like a failure for that. All right?

[00:04:10] The third strategy is to celebrate your achievements. It’s really easy to kind of just overlook what we’ve accomplished and focus on what we’re not doing right, but when you keep a record of what you’ve done well, both big and small, and celebrate your milestones. And you’re acknowledging how far you’ve come, and then you can kind of look back and be like, oh, I used to really struggle with this, but now I’m doing amazing at this. So it’s really cool to see that. One trick I love for this is to keep a testimonial folder in your phone. So just take screenshots when someone says something kind about you. When a client gives you a great testimonial, whatever it is, put it in one folder on your phone, and then on the days where you’re kind of feeling that imposter syndrome struggle, you can go back and refer to those to kind of give you that boost of like, oh, hey, I’ve done some amazing things in this line of work and I can keep doing more.

[00:05:07] All right. The fourth tip for overcoming Imposter syndrome is to seek support. So you wanna surround yourself with a positive community of like-minded individuals who uplift and encourage you. You wanna lean on your faith community, your friends, and your family for support. You do not have to do things alone. You don’t have to battle that imposter syndrome alone. The next one, and it’s a little bit of a toughie, is to practice self-compassion. A lot of us are really compassionate when it comes to other people, but then we say really mean things to ourselves. You need to be kind to yourself, yourself, grace, when facing challenges or setbacks, and just know that God’s love for you is unwavering no matter what. Okay, so in your journey to overcome imposter syndrome, I just want you to remember to trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean that on your own understanding, but submit to him in all your ways, he will make your path straight. And that’s from Proverbs 3:5-6. You need to place your trust in God, knowing that he is faithful to guide you through any challenges that come your way.

[00:06:15] As you venture into the world of becoming a virtual assistant, do not let imposter syndrome hold you back. You are uniquely created, equipped with God-given strengths and abilities, with practical strategies, a supportive community, and unwavering faith. You can conquer those feelings of doubt and embrace your true worth. Remember, you can do all things through him who gives you strength, and that’s Philippians 4:13. Okay, so I know that you’re gonna face these feelings of imposter syndrome, but just keep pressing forward. Utilize these strategies I gave you. Turn to your Bible verses, and just know that you can absolutely do this.

[00:06:55] You’ve got this. Okay. And if you’re interested in the world of becoming a virtual system, but you’re afraid of making mistakes, you’re not really sure what to do, you’ve got that imposter syndrome creeping in. I want to invite you to our workshop coming up Thursday, September 28th at 6:00 PM This workshop is completely free. It’s going to teach you the five P’s of becoming a successful virtual assistant. Again, totally free, no charge to you. So come and register for that at ariannavernier.com/free-workshop. That’s at A R I A N N A V E R N I E R .com/free-workshop. Or you can find the link in the show notes. All right, y’all. I love you so incredibly much. I cannot wait to see you in that workshop, and we will see you in the next episode.