Everyone struggles with “Who am I to be doing this (public speaking, writing online, etc.)?”
Personally, I have for years. So I tried all the usual suspects to overcome it. I shared my feelings and tried letting go of perfectionism. I went so far as to accept the problem — that I may never get over feeling like an imposter.
But what changed for me was a renewed respect for and trust in my readers. And as soon as that clicked, I understood that overcoming imposter syndrome wasn’t that hard. I was just focused on the wrong thing—myself.
Here’s what I should have done instead:
Change your focus
I am in the writing game to communicate something worthwhile to my readers. So it’s not about me. It’s to connect with them and help them improve their lives.
So the more I interest, inform, and entertain my readers, the more I’ve earned their attention.
My job is to get to the point, bring topics to life, and not waste the reader’s time. To get rid of dead-weight words, add imagery, and speak simply. To spend the time needed to format so reading is an effortless pleasure.
If I bring value to my readers, I’m doing my job.