Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Or Anxiety Stop You
You became a therapist for a reason and are thinking about starting your business because you have something important to provide to others, but there are plenty of reasons holding you back from taking the leap.
Fear of failure, fear of not having enough money, fear that you're not good enough, fear of judgement or embarrassment when you’re marketing, not knowing how to market your private practice, not knowing how to build the business in general, and imposter syndrome just to name a few. Letting go of anxiety and/or and imposter syndrome takes time.
Why do you want to open this business? I mean why for others. What problem does it solve? Why do people need your service so badly? When you know this, it's easier to talk to people about your business. As a therapist, you are already an expert marketer, as marketing is just about building relationships. It’s about transferring the skill from one area to another.
What do you want your life to be like a year from now? 5 years? 10 years? What will your reward will be in these timeframes when you open your private practice? Find the silver lining, remember the problem you solve and why you're doing this. Then take a deep breath and go for it. Certain parts of it may come across awkward at first. That's fine. You’re learning. We don’t get good at something until we practice it over and over.
Keep focused on the journey instead of the outcome. There will always be too much to do and not enough time.
Do the things today and don't worry about tomorrow. Put your priorities on the calendar first. Then schedule other things around them. All too often we get caught up in the day to day grind and before we know it the day is over and we didn't do what we should have or wanted to.
Going into private practice means putting effort in that you may not be not used to. It may mean getting up earlier or getting home later. It may mean talking to people about your business (networking). It may mean building a website. It may mean learning the logistics of opening a business.
Letting go of unnecessary anxiety and imposter syndrome about opening your private practice will happen if you don't give up.
What if you are successful? What if you make plenty of money before you run low? If you're good at what you do now why wouldn't you be good in a different setting, like private practice?
If opening your private practice is a seedling goal at this point, that is great. If it’s a goal you currently have, you won't know if you make it if you don't try. Success doesn't happen by accident. Success is made by taking action every single day. The best way to take action on something new is to schedule it. Eventually it'll become habit.
Don't rely on willpower alone to remember to do the things you need to do. It's not yet a pattern that your brain is used to. You're just as likely, if not more likely, to forget about it as you are to remember it.
The best time to schedule your priorities is the night before. We often have more motivation the day before than we do the day of. If you schedule the day in the morning, you may find a billion other "important" things and not schedule what is truly important that moves you closer to your goal.
Fear of failure is an emotional threat. You won't die if your private practice doesn't work out. Fear of not having enough money is also perceived as it’s not a current problem. Start your business while you're still working elsewhere. Or get a part time, PRN, per diem, or as needed job to supplement income.
Slowing the racing thoughts and stopping the catastrophic thinking is vital. Once you’ve noticed the spiral and have identified the absolute worst thing, validate your fears; they’re coming from your thoughts and are valid. Then challenge the validity of the thoughts and identify what good can come from potential rejection or embarrassment or failure.
If your fears and limiting beliefs are holding you back, it may be time to hire a coach. I've been there with the anxiety and imposter syndrome. And I've built two successful businesses. My coaching business, Lifestyle Reboot helps starting entrepreneurs, like you, manage anxiety and imposter syndrome so you can live the life you only thought possible in other people or in dreams.
Schedule your clarity call with me to learn how to start making marketing your business habitual or overcome the anxiety and imposter syndrome keeping you back from having a more successful business! If you still need to a bit more time, take a look around my site.