Barriers to blogging – the curse of Imposter Syndrome

The Imposter Syndrome holds back many would-be brilliant bloggers. Here’s how to deal with it, get over it, and start blogging.

However good you are at what you do, it is fear that can paralyse the most brilliant minds. Imposter Syndrome – or the terror of being found as a fraud – stops many potential bloggers in their tracks.

“If I share my knowledge people will realize how little I really know.”

“Other people know way more than I do. I’m no expert.”

“My work persona is an act. I can’t show the ‘real me’ or the world will realise I’m just playing at it.”

“I feel uncomfortable talking about my success. I know I don’t deserve it.”

It’s easy to see how feelings like this can hold you back. Doubting yourself and your abilities makes the idea of putting yourself on the line by writing a public blog very uncomfortable. Why on earth would you want to open yourself up to the world?

Understand that you’re not alone. Both Sonja and I felt very unsure of our first blogging efforts. Very few people are so supremely confident in what they do that writing about it comes easy. 

How to cure Imposter Syndrome

There is only one cure to Imposter Syndrome, as far as we know, and that’s just to get stuck in to the writing. Feel the fear and do it anyway.

If you’re worried about being uncovered as a fraud, try seeing your blog differently. Instead of seeing the blog as a chilly window into your empty knowledge soul, view it as a chance to share the few slivers of really useful stuff that you do have. (Oh come on, you know something!) Once you begin and make blogging a habit, you’ll find that the ideas start flowing. You will develop your own unique style.

  • Turn your reticence about putting yourself forward into a strength. People with ‘Imposter Syndrome’ aren’t naturally disposed to write self-obsessed ‘Me! Me! Me!‘ posts – they don’t want the attention. What you write will be client focused, and that’s a good thing.
  • Think of the things that your clients thank you most for. It might be small stuff rather than Nobel Prize winning acts – and use that for a basis for your blogs.
  • Think of the questions you get asked most. That’s what your potential clients really want to know. Answer those in your blog posts.
  • Remember, applying your knowledge and experience to your clients’ world is what’s unique to you. This is the thing that will make your blogs fly.

Your blog isn’t the place you’re going to get unmasked as an imposter, it’s the place you’re going to demonstrate how you can help, and that’s way more valuable.

How we can help

Sign up for our free e-course – Blogging for Professionals – and find the confidence to write really valuable content.

More blogs to get you started.

Finally, thank you to Gary Williams for inspiring this blog!

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4 Comments

  1. Gary Williams

    Hi Sharon, whilst I am pleased to have provided the inspiration I’m now paranoid that you saw through my own thin veil of expertise and recognised the imposter within…

    It’s so true though, particularly among professionals and from what I’ve seen it could also be part of our national psyche. We don’t really warm to a ‘know all’ but I think that manifests itself too far the other way and we underplay our knowledge and expertise for fear of showing off. As you say, its a mindset thing and once we get our heads around the fact that we’re sharing thoughts and experiences from our daily working lives that could be interesting to others we’re not suffering the ‘tall poppy syndrome’ (But that’s another story…).

    Reply
  2. Sharon Tanton

    Hee hee Gary! I should have made it clear that you inspired the article through your very interesting comment on a previous blog post, and not because you are an imposter!

    Thanks for another insightful comment, and hope all’s well with you.

    Sharon

    Reply
  3. Bill

    Nice article Sharon!
    I like the idea of thing about what clients ask the most.
    This can potentially reset the entire thought process.

    Cheers!

    Reply
  4. Sharon Tanton

    Thanks Bill – yes, that question work for us!

    Reply

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