Entrepreneurship Insights Uncategorized

8 Ways To Beat Self-Doubt & Imposter Syndrome When Take the plunge and Create an Online Course

Written by Sarah Cordiner

Here is a simple fact, It is IMPOSSIBLE to know EVERYTHING about a topic.

There is so much information, science, data, opinions on a given topic that keeping up with all of it is next to impossible.

As an educator and course creator, you have a wealth of valuable content and expertise to share. Even if you don’t know what it is yet.

So, what DO you know? Let’s start with that..You are brimming with expertise that others need. That’s why you’ve started your own business. When our creative mojo is taking a hit, we can convince ourselves that we don’t have anything of value to give to others.

EVERYONE has an abundance of valuable information packed into every cell of their body.

You have expertise that other people don’t yet have. It could be cooking, communicating, a professional skill, academic skill, a passionate hobby or a unique talent. You are so well equipped, you have so much on offer and there are so many people who need you to get over your fears, push away your imposter syndrome and step up with confidence.

We all experience it: Imposter syndrome. The feeling of fraud. It usually shows up when we are inches from our grand stage.  Strangely,it shows up more and more as you become more successful. This is because you have more at stake and a longer way to fall.

There are the two main mojo-killers that contribute to feeling like a fraud:

  1.   Comparing yourself to others
  2.   Assuming that someone else must be in the expert category in order to be worthy of having such a title.

If you want others to recognise you as an expert in your field, starts by calling yourself one. You can’t wait around for others to spontaneously recognise you as an expert.    YOU have to give yourself the title and then YOU have to go about being true to your title by behaving like the expert that you are. If you don’t strive to truly impress your customers and exceed your own expectations, you will never earn that expert title.

You see, we are all an expert to somebody.  We all have abilities that are unique to us. When you accept the fact that to many people you ARE  in fact an expert, all you need to do is tell people what you know, impart your knowledge and strive for success and excellence.

As a professional, you can teach others how to recognise their own talents and expertise and bolster their confidence. That’s it! Benefit yourself and your business and learn how to uplift others in the process.

 

Here are 8 tips to help you manage imposter syndrome and self-doubt when creating courses:

Focus on what you know

Remember that you DO have a message to impart. You already know SO much and this knowledge is unique to you and therefore invaluable to others.It has the power to transform lives, businesses and industries if you harness and impart it correctly. You’ll also be able to improve your business and bottom line.Be aware that downloading your knowledge from your brain and sharing with others is one of THE best ways of building a strong and viable business.  This is the true essence of edupreneurship, educating in a commercially profitable manner.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Make the most of the knowledge that you have on hand NOW – you can share what else you learn later on. Don’t think you have to wait until you have the perfect recipe, or have attained ALL of the knowledge on the planet in your topic. This is impossible, and will simply hinder you professionally. First of all, not only is that entirely impossible, but you couldn’t share it all even if you tried.Start by sharing skills that you’re most comfortable with in whatever way is the quickest and easiest for you.

 Make a list

Ask yourself if it’s been possible to get to where you are in your life today without learning ANYTHING along the way? Of course you’ve learned and improved your skills.  List 100 things that you think other people should know.   It could be something that you’ve discovered through formal or informal training, picked up through your general life experience or something you read about or saw on TV. You’ll be amazed at how much you know and just how much you’ll be able to share.

Make the most out of every piece of advice you have to give

You don’t have to have a bottomless pit of information, you just have to learn to share what you do know as effectively as possible. You have to share it on the right platforms to enable it to reach far and wide.

Break your knowledge down into micro topics and share it across multiple forms (blogs, videos, articles, audios, webinars etc) piece by piece.

If you missed something out, or learn something new about a topic later, then simply update your old post or even make a new one.  Never wait on stuff you have to share.

You don’t have to be a famous influencer or have a huge following to make a difference. Most of us are not the global authority in our particular field but we all have information and expertise to give, share and help others with. The trick is to share information about what you DO know with people who could benefit from your know how.

Lessons learned are lessons to give

Remind yourself that you’ve learnt a lot in your life. Don’t think  you have to be the stereotypical success story to be able to guide and teach others. We all have lessons to share from our mishaps.

There  is as much as a market for what not to do as there is for what to do.  There are a ton of people out there who are yet to make your  mistakes. They’re yet to learn the things that you have learned formally or through trial and error. By imparting your wisdom to those who need it, you will also build valuable business and personal relationships.

Disseminating helpful information makes people like you want more  AND want to pay you for more..

Share your personal journey

If you have achieved success in something or made it through a difficult experience, you can teach others HOW you personally overcame that situation or got the results you achieved. Nobody can say you are wrong, incorrect or insufficient in your explanation, because you are basing your training on what YOU did, what YOU experienced and the skills that YOU successfully used to get YOUR unique results.

Check you’re in alignment

There is a difference between being afraid and being totally out of alignment. Putting yourself out there is scary.  If you don’t have a tiny bit of apprehension,  maybe you don’t care enough.  Fear is healthy.  Fear makes you double check that you are delivering the best of your abilities.   However, if you feel a sense of dread and don’t feel any excitement whatsoever, it’s likely  you are on the wrong path entirely. Ask yourself where the source of your self-doubt is coming from.

By sharing your lessons, you cannot fail

There is no greater affirmation of your innate abilities than showing yourself that you are valuable to others and have commodifiable skills., Other people thanking you for your wisdom feels pretty good. But sometimes your endeavours may not go to plan. We all fail sometimes.

When this happens, reflect on the following:

  •   Remind yourself why you started
  •   Remember what you love
  •   Recall all of the people over the years that you have helped
  •   Say to yourself, I DO know a metric tonne of stuff that is super helpful to others
  •   I will make a positive difference for more people
  •   I am are a good person

If you feel like you’re failing or not doing as well as you would like to, look at what you have to give to your market. The more you give, the more everyone gets. While self-doubt can be crippling, it doesn’t have to control you. So say goodbye to self-doubt and start edupreneuring today!

 

“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."

About the author

Sarah Cordiner

In June 2019 Sarah completed a tenure as the 'Executive Director and Head of Campus' at the University of Notre Dame Australia. The youngest university Executive Director in Australia's history, Sarah was the most senior leader of one of the most remote university campuses in the world and successfully lead the university through a major re-registration RTO audit. She is the CEO of MainTraining PTY LTD.