There was a time I let the negative voices in my head get the best of me.

They told me I couldn’t be good at writing or know what I was talking about because I didn’t have a journalism degree like some of my colleagues or hadn’t worked at a fancy-pants magazine like one of my editors.

Although I continued to rise in the ranks at work and receive praise from my superiors, I continued to doubt myself and see myself as inferior to my colleagues (younger, less educated, not as capable). Even though my articles were being published in national and regional magazines, I felt really uncomfortable uttering the words “I’m a professional writer.” I didn’t feel legitimate.

I sort of felt like a fraud …

like someone was going to say “No, you’re not! You don’t have a degree in writing and don’t really know what you’re talking about!”

I published more than 50 articles, wrote speeches for heads of government and penned newsletters circulated to thousands of employees, but there was still a piece of me that felt like an imposter. There was that voice in the back of my head that held me back from claiming the kudos and experiences I deserved. That voice was holding me back.

Can you relate?

I’m not exactly sure what changed. I wish I could share with you the exact time on the clock when the shift happened. But I finally stopped listening to the voice that told me I needed a piece of paper to be a professional writer and provide value to others. I no longer believed that I was unworthy or incapable of providing immense value and expertise to others.

I started, instead, to listen for the accolades of my peers and clients to help encourage me. It felt incredible to begin to really believe in myself and to validate my abilities. By tapping into my capabilities, successes and new-found

I started to look for potential opportunities that lie in front of me, and believing that more was possible (without the world coming crashing down around me). It was refreshing (and much more enjoyable) to cheer myself on and believe that I had a lot to offer. I even began allowing myself to shyly utter ‘professional writer’ when I was asked what I did at various functions. I even had the gall to print in ‘professional writer” on an application form when I was asked what my occupation was. (felt good, like really good).👏

My new found voice told me I knew how to:

• Create.
  
• Awesomely write for businesses.
  
• Break complex issues down into bite-size pieces for my clients.
  
• Get to the heart of someone’s passions and help them put their own story down into words. 
  
• Share. Teach. Inspire others to be their own cheerleaders and believe in themselves.

As for my worth and legitimate pay. No more pro bono, freebie stuff. No more undercutting my value just to get a sale. Time to stick up for my skill, value, and time and ask for my value … even if it meant not getting a job.

I have been reassured by industry-heavyweights like Jenna Kutcher and her candid stories shared on her podcast, The Goal Digger (MY FAVOURITE!). She details her entrepreneurial journey filled with failures and flops, less than perfect results, teachable moments, and a continuous path forward, despite challenges. I knew I was in good company if they could stumble and still get up and grow. (I talk about this more in my podcast appearance here if you want to have a listen and I can cheer you on!)

Do you ever feel like an imposter and have challenges believing in your abilities? 

What voice have you been listening to lately? 

The one that cheers you on and pushes you to new amazing heights? Or the one that holds you back and talks mean to you?

If it’s not the nice one, how about we change that for this year?

I want you to drop me a comment below and tell me one thing that you are really good at and an amazing quality about yourself. If you feel comfortable, share with me what negative thoughts you want to get rid of!!

And if you want to check out what I created as the culmination of believing in myself and wanting to share my immense content/writing/inspiring knowledge, check out my new course: Content Unleashed. I’m pretty proud of it and can’t wait to ‘unleash’ it to as many entrepreneurs as possible!

We are all in this together. I’ve got you. Let’s believe in you together.

From my kitchen table to yours,