Trying to beat Imposter syndrome
The foremost advice given about writing a blog is to post consistently.
Well, you might have noticed, I’ve been pretty consistent recently in not posting. I feel I owe it to you, as many have joined me on this blogging journey of seven plus years, to explain why. It’s taken me a while to figure it out too.
I’ve made excuses about being busy – and it’s true that working in digital communications that the demand for more and better quality content just keeps getting greater – but that’s not the whole picture.
On Instagram yesterday, I finally admitted to a large dose of Imposter syndrome (psychologists call it neurotic imposture) and a sort of crazy perfectionism which has left me staring at the draft posts section of my blog like a rabbit caught in the headlights, unable to press publish. Many said they had not heard of the term ‘Imposter syndrome’ and it sounds pretty pathetic when you put it into writing, but I’ll try to explain…
When people compliment your work or say how talented you are at something you should feel good, right? In fact the feeling that comes over you is the exact opposite. You believe they have the wool pulled over their eyes and you are not deserving of their praise. It’s the continual feeling of not being as good as a) everyone thinks you are and b) most other people in your field. This sounds like false humility and that’s why it’s really difficult to admit to, and super hard to rationalise and escape from.
This paragraph from a report in the Harvard Business Review – The Dangers of Feeling a Failure enlightens further (throughout the article there are many things about my background and expectations that I identify with):
“…neurotic impostors feel more fraudulent and alone than other people do. Because they view themselves as charlatans, their success is worse than meaningless: It is a burden. In their heart of hearts, these self-doubters believe that others are much smarter and more capable than they are, so any praise impostors earn makes no sense to them. “Bluffing” their way through life (as they see it), they are haunted by the constant fear of exposure. With every success, they think, “I was lucky this time, fooling everyone, but will my luck hold? When will people discover that I’m not up to the job?”
When my blog was in its infancy I was happy to do the best I could and just publish for the pleasure of sharing a variety of topics. Now there are so many blogs of incredibly high standards to compare my output with, paired with recognition as an ‘influencer’; it’s gradually caused my self-confidence about blogging to plummet and to doubt everything I set out to do.
Women are particularly prone to feeling like a fraud and apparently most people suffer from this at one time or another. I must admit to having it bad right now though and again, I’m trying to work out why this might be so I can combat it.
Much has been made of a version of the lives we portray online, the artificial perfect worlds, especially on Instagram. It seeps into our consciousness and even if our heads know that no one can really live like that and that nobody is perfect, envy, comparison and those feelings of inadequacy steal into our hearts. The wealth of advice out there is a double-edged sword too. I read a lot and listen to masses of podcasts. It’s easy to fall prey to certain aspects of received wisdom about things you should be doing and are not. The list is too long, too overwhelming; achieving it feels utterly impossible, and those that do it all seem blessed with the abilities of super humans. Related to this is my resistance to chunks of the advice, for instance the current wisdom that the only way your blog will be successful is by finding as small a niche as possible. This is good advice but not for me – you and I would all be bored very quickly if this was my approach. There are too many things of interest out there in the world to dig into, probe, examine.
Confessing to feeling a fraud
So why am I sharing all this in my most personal post ever (and completely outside the usual topics of my blog)?
- It’s a way to try to get over it. By sharing all I have nowhere to hide so have to get on with publishing posts more often – as I’m now accountable to you my readers in a different, more honest, and little bit scary way.
- The time taken to write and publish my blog posts has got longer and longer over the years and more daunting as the standards I’ve aimed for are higher (often feeling unattainable hence the delay in going live). These words were written quite hastily in a bid to prove to myself that the world will not implode if they appear online in fact…
- …this might help someone by showing they are not alone. I know I’ve found solace by realising I’m not alone. Does this strike a chord with you?
- I value everyone who has taken the time to connect with me here or on other channels and I felt an explanation was needed for my blogging drought.
- This actually took time away from publishing a post I’m afraid to finish – procrastinating once more about making it live. Classic imposter syndrome but at least I’m admitting it!
How I’m trying to beat imposter syndrome
This is what I’m turning to, and having it in a list form will help to remind and encourage me. As I’m no expert in this field, I’ve resisted writing the ‘top ten tips to help YOU etc.’ Sharing my approach and progress is the best I can do. I hope it helps others and I would love to have your thoughts about other things I might try.
- Form a blogging habit again. I’ve actually got a regular Instagram routine which I stick to that works well. It could be that this takes away from my time to blog so I’m going to put a strict time limit on it. In an interview for Janet Murray’s Soulful PR podcast, Jeff Goins talks about dedicating an hour a day to writing when he was starting out. This makes sense to get back into the practise of regular writing for my blog again. It also taps into the ‘do it until you believe it’ advice.
- Try to overcome perfectionism. This post is the first step. I’m going to diarise time once a week for batch editing my images which I never feel are good enough making this is a hugely time-consuming job. If I’m not making headway with this, I might even outsource some editing accepting that no one can be good at everything.
- Just doing the best I can. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less”. C.S. Lewis. Getting stuff done and out there must be my priority (rather than 250 unpublished half-finished draft posts – no joke). From now on I’ll aim for ‘good enough’.
- Only seeking out things that inspire, buoy me up and give me strength. Keeping away from content that makes me feel inferior or evokes envious or uncomfortable feelings for a while. Focusing on doing my own personal best.
- Identifying bad habits and working hard to break them. Who else here identifies with everything on this list of the five diets All women should be on by Sas Petherick?
- Being alert to the critical voice – and answering it. Acknowledging that my thought patterns are holding me back and setting a strategy to overcome it, however impossible this might seem.
- Valuing genuine, positive and kind people around me and trusting what they say. In response to my little reveal on Instagram I received some very touching messages of support for which I am truly grateful. Pooh-poohing their sentiments is tantamount to calling them disingenuous.
- Taking more risks, putting myself out there, doing the things that I’m afraid of. To quote Margie Warrell on Working Mother : Letting fears sit at the helm in life is a surefire recipe for lackluster mediocrity—or as Thoreau put it, “a life of quiet desperation.” I WILL refuse to let my inner gremlin dictate my choices.
My approach to blogging
I’ve also decided not to beat myself up about not having a narrow niche. The example of the lovely Sarah Von Bargen on the Yes and Yes blog really inspires me. She says:
When people ask me about my blog I tell them “It’s a lifestyle blog for smart, funny people.” And then I might point at them and wink and say “So you’re allowed to read it.”
My unique perspective on food, drink and travel will continue to be my blog niche which I hope will appeal to you if you like to dig a little deeper and ask the odd awkward question about things.
I’m designing a quick survey to help broaden my topics rather than “niche-ing down”. Send me an email if you’d like to receive it, or just tell me what you’d like to read more of (Instagram and blogging tips for instance).
Thanks for reading this far and for lending me your ears. Be prepared for a deluge of posts to follow – this will mean I’ve succeeded in conquering some demons. This thing goes so deep that I’m actually feeling like being a fraud at confessing to a syndrome! Feeling scared, vulnerable, and still daunted now I’ve written this – but also on the cusp of a new chapter.
Your thoughts, via comments, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or email would be highly appreciated. Are there any resources that have helped? If this resonates with you too, would you like to join me on the journey? Could we keep each other accountable and provide support for blogging, social, small business, life….? Let me know 🙂
Comments are closed.
My Custard Pie 
Sally… Thank you for this. I hear you. It’s why I haven’t written ANYTHING properly for SEVEN years.. now doesn’t *that* sound ridiculous?
Kellie xx
Oh Kellie. You are the last person I would assume thought this way. Really really appreciate your comment as it helps put everything in perspective. It’s so easy to think that everyone else is doing fine and you are the only one. My sister calls it the poison parrot voice – we should learn to throw a blanket over its cage!
Wonderful compelling insight, your a brave and honest soul Sally. Never heard of imposter syndrome gratitude for the enlightenment. As a creative I battle with my inner critic (gremlin) on an all to regular basis, but tell it “No! I am not playing with you to-day” Know you are enough, you are always true to yourself and look forward to your future posts ❤
Do you think it’s people with a particularly creative side that hear this voice or just down to upbringing? I’m not sure. I don’t feel brave – I was a quivering wreck after pressing publish – but sharing this has helped to turn a corner. Thanks for your sound advice here Ciara.
Sorry I missed your response Sally until now. I believe as adults we all have this “gremlin” but we are not born with it, children have this blissful freedom. They do things, create and just be in the present simply for the pure joy of it. I see this carefree freedom of creating slowly disappear at 10-12yrs, children start to worry what others think and pleasing others becomes more important. What happens as we grow? Is it upbringing or society’s expectations maybe educational institutionalisation and demands of conformity perhaps all of these. I do know we are all on our unique life path, I for one am getting back to that blissful freedom and very grateful for it ❤
This. Yes I hear you and ALL of it resonates. I have another theory too, which is that social media has become so instant now (yes, I’m looking at you Instagram and Snapchat) that people feel LESS inclined to spend ages on a blog post or even any time at all to comment or connect. Once, and I think there was some merit to my idea, I set a timer and decided to write an impromptu blog post. I think it was a kasza salad based on what was in my fridge and I gave myself 60 minutes to cook the recipe, shoot it and blog it. If I had not done this, it would have been yet another recipe sitting on my camera.
In terms of niche, I’ve struggled with this too. Everyone told me that if I wanted to write a Polish cookbook, then my blog should only be about Polish food. It wasn’t and I still wrote a Polish cookbook. I’m still battling with whether to ‘niche down’ but resisting at the moment because it feels like I want to write about so much that I’d be boxing myself in. But to become an authority on anything, I think you do need ‘in-depth’ knowledge and pinning down a niche helps that – but it’s not the only way.
Most of this imposter syndrome is fear. Fear if not being good enough. Fear that someone did it better. I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic to help with this. It may have been said/done before, but it hasn’t beed said/done by YOU. Most of all, reading about ‘imposter syndrome’ as you’ve set out makes me sad because I think there is too much pressure on being creative, on maintaining a blog, on maintaining and growing perfectly curated platforms and that pressure is then reflected back on us by way of a reluctance to put anything out there that’s less than perfect. So ‘good enough’ is certainly a good way forward though I’ve never seen anything less that beautiful and thoughtful coming from you in any case.
You are a true professional, Sally. Believe in yourself, that is all, and share what you love, because that’s what people will connect with and appreciate the most.
Really resonate with the fear factor Ren. I love the timer idea – it helps to give the fear (or poisoned parrot ) no time to do its work. I do know that I’ll take as much time as I have ….which can be hours, days or even months… so a deadline is helpful. Everything you’ve said in this comment makes a lot of sense. I’ve always admired your decisiveness and willingness to embrace change. Absolutely cannot wait for your cookbook – and on the niche side, while expert knowledge of Polish food and cooking is part of you, it’s not the whole of your story… in fact that diversity is so much your strength. Appreciate such a long and thoughtful comment – and your kind, motivating words.
Lovely honest post Sally – & very you – & I think you’re being way too hard on yourself. I love reading your blog posts, & just assumed you were busy elsewhere or travelling when there were fewer to read than normal. I’m always interested in your take on food, drink travel & social media – however infrequently they arrive. x
Being involved with G4G was what got me blogging in the first place Tricia. You’ve been so much part of my journey. Your comment means so much to me.
I’m leaving this quick note to say THANK YOU. But I’ll come back to say more when I have my thoughts better organised. I have been nodding my head vigorously with each line and this post couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanks. Watch this space.
Mardi – I’ve been following you and in awe of everything you’ve achieved for so long. You came onto my radar during that very high profile competition where you got through to many rounds – I can’t remember who ran it now? I was so amazing by your creativity and bravery.
Hi Sally, Thanks for sharing your story. Having read your posts for a good 8 years now, I have to say I’m pleased to hear that you are finding your groove again – you are one of the bloggers whose opinions we (as a family) trust and share. As your audience, you owe us nothing – honestly, people will choose to read because your blog offers a little bit of you – a ‘perfect’ post can come across as too polished – I’d much rather know that a human being has written it. What you call ‘good enough’ is more authentic. We like your style – here’s to more. All the best.
This is incredibly kind and encouraging Jane. The word ‘trust’ means so much to me and I try to avoid things undermine this – sometimes I’ve accepted invites or opportunities which have made me start to feel uncomfortable and this is a sure sign I should not be doing them. My radar is better honed these days and I hope it’s reflected in my blog. Thanks for taking the time to comment and really value you as a long standing reader coming along with this journey on a path with so many twists and turns. Thank you.
Sally, you are one of the most authentic people I know, and I love everything you write and every image you take. Totally empathise with you re: imposter syndrome – and sharing your feelings makes us love you even more. Staying true to you is your gift to us, whatever the topic.x
You know I respect what you do so highly Tara – I’m truly honoured to receive these kind words. You are a beacon of professionalism, positivity, and transparency in everything you do – a rare thing these days…
Hi Sally,
Thanks for writing this highly personal post. I think almost everyone experiences some form of imposter syndrome — I know I do all the time! I just started reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It was recommended to me by a fellow blogger while I was experiencing writers block while trying to write a press release about our blog. Massive feelings of fakery come up whenever I try to promote us! The book is full of exercises and wisdom to help overcome exactly this kind of thing. Good luck breaking free of it! I very much look forward to reading your upcoming posts!!
Jane
Thank you Jane. You definitely inspire me and your genuine writing style and approach shines through everything. Thanks for the recommendation. Will definitely download and read. Love following your travels.
Oh I have so much to say on so many topics you’ve brought up but that would require me writing a novel! First, thank you for writing such a brave post from the heart. I’ve written something similar on imposter syndrome (but not as well-expressed as yours) so many times but couldn’t bring myself to hit publish because I always get hit by the case of “Who would want to read that?”
There is so much noise out there on the internet (and the “real” world) that it is sometimes hard to tune it all out and focus on what we should be doing to better ourselves and our readers. That noise kept me from writing and publishing the last 2 years – maybe more.
On the topic of niches and narrow niches, I’ve always believed that our blog is our own and we have to do what makes us happy. For me being happy (in regards to blogging) is being able to write about new things and teach and expand my readers’ minds. I resisted niching down up until recently because I enjoyed writing about so many things. But the problem was that every time I sat down to write, I didn’t actually write ANYTHING because there was so much I wanted to write about – what would I write first? So instead of writing something, I ended up writing nothing. When we started making noodles at home, I felt that I had so much to write on that topic that the words and topic ideas just flooded out of me. That was March of this year so let’s see what the future holds.
Sally, your writing style and topic choices are beautiful and your voice shines through all of it. It doesn’t matter what topic you write about, your personal anchor beliefs are so strong that they can be heard through everything you write. Now that you’ve let the imposter syndrome out into the open, tell it to sail away somewhere far and never come back so that we, your readers, can enjoy reading your posts again.
I’ve loved the different directions you’ve followed and am so excited with your new niche. I do relate to wanting to write about everything but writing nothing. This confession seems to have really helped me to turn a corner – so far so good. Adored the making noodles with your feet post! Have a fabulous summer.
Sally, this is a great post. I love your photography, and your Instagram feed is definitely a source of inspiration for me. We all get attacked by our own self-doubt, more often than we are willing to admit – Seth Godin calls it a “lizard brain” – we just need to fight it and keep pushing on. Your audience is here, just keep writing…
Lizard brain, poisonous parrot, all those primeval creatures … the ridiculous thing is we are responsible for our own self-sabotage.. Once I got my head around how absurd that is it’s helped me to throw off so much nonsense.
Sally, what a beautifully written post. Thank you so much for writing this and for your honesty. I’ve been on both sides, I’ve felt like an imposter and I’ve seen my own content copied. I also do not blog as much as I used to because I feel like it doesn’t matter. I feel like we’ve reached social media overload. It has gotten so bad in many places that it feels like restaurants and eateries that are opening or reopening only have Instagram in mind rather than actual food. I’d love to read more authentic and real posts based in reality.
You have always been a source of information and a person I am sure a lot of people trust. That means a lot.
Read this, I think you’ll appreciate it.
https://www.eater.com/2017/7/6/15925940/instagram-influencers-cronuts-milkshakes-burgers
Thanks so much Sally for your honesty. You’re certainly not alone in feeling that it’s never good enough, perfect enough. I’ve struggled recently as everyone who started blogging at the same time as I did seem so much more successful and yet I started blogging for my own pleasure, not success. It’s easy to forget why we started and the enjoyment it brought. I’ve tried to niche down in the belief that that’s what’s required but again by whom? I’ve learnt so much from blogging as I’m sure have you. The joy of photography, the pleasure of someone telling you that they made your recipe and loved it and friends. Friends from all over the world, who only occasionally come together but care about you none the less. I love reading your posts and enjoying your pictures, lets just revel in the pleasure of the word for ourselves. GG
I have these feelings a lot. You are certainly not alone. It’s even harder because whilst our rational minds know, as you said, that the glimpses into peoples’ lives that we see through social media are the best bits, the most interesting, beautiful and exciting bits, there are some who really want people to believe that these moments are representative of their whole lives, and of course, it’s hard not to fall for that trap of comparing and finding oneself lacking.
The other thing that hugely struck a chord with me is when you talk about the current wisdom that says that the only route to “success” (whatever that is) is to narrow one’s niche and then narrow it some more. Like you, I emphatically do not want to do that. I love writing about food (both cooking and eating out), about travel (of all kinds), and about other bits of life such as gardening and memories and stuff and things.
The thing is, I know (or at least I think I do because that’s what “they” are telling me) that I might do better with my stats (how many hits, how many unique visitors, how many comments, how many seconds spend on my site) if I took that advice but a big part of me answers back that I don’t want bigger numbers if they come at the expense of sacrificing my voice and my voice includes writing about all the things I want to write about.
Another issue for me is that so many of our contemporaries have made blogging their full time career, and while my rational mind knows I shouldn’t and couldn’t try to keep up with them in terms of what they put into making their blog successful, the irrational side still feels like the little kid in the playground wanting to keep up, fit in, be one of that in crowd.
And then there is the sheer incredible crazy mental volume of blogs these days, it’s inevitable that each of us gets a smaller share of the attention pot, unless we put in a lot of extra effort.
Your suggestions on how to combat the feelings are ones I’m going to try and take on board too.
Excellent post Sally, so well written and interesting. Please email me your survey to anexpatabroad@gmail.com
I am so sorry you feel like this Sally, but am so glad you’ve shared how you feel because it’s just how I do! I’ve worked on my perfectionism “problem” before, but when it comes to blogging it really gets me. I’ve barely blogged at all since we’ve been away in the US and it’s a great excuse that life’s been a bit upside down, but in reality I have dozens of nearly-finished blogposts that I should just get on and publish. I seem to have ended up in a position where people think I’m an authority on a subject and I’m absolutely not, I’m just someone who’s passionate about something and trying to learn more about it, and share what I learn. So as a result, of course now I’ve been called an expert on it, I am now terrified of being called out as a fraud (and of course I’ve had emails asking how I think I can possibly be an expert as well, which helps 🙄 I never said I was one!). It’s exhausting that a hobby and a passion can become such emotional and psychological hard work. I’m focusing on trying to make my blogging a little more personal again to see if that helps pull me away from it all. Fingers crossed, and lots and lots of strength and luck to you with it too 😊
Gosh Sally what you wrote strikes a chord. So yes, you are not alone! I too haven’t posted for some time on my blog — time –life–love and more! You have inspired me to get cracking again and address my time management for blogging. I need to take your advice on making my blog financial as would like to take the next leap.
Happy writing — oh and I like your pics. When are you going to visit us in Melbourne??? P x
Oh, I know how you feel! I have been suffering from that syndrome since a very long while. I’m an obsessive perfectionist… So thanks for writing this article! It might help me to finally post again and to accept that there is no shame in just doing the best I can.
Cheers,
Rosa
Hi Sally thanks for sharing such open and honest words. I feel you are being so hard on yourself – which is where your third tip comes in – as log as you’re doing your best that’s all that matters. You have 250 draft posts that I’m sure will be just as good even if they don’t meet your exceptionally high standards of perfection 😊
So lovely to see you blog again. I do not know anyone more genuine than you and I am glad you are dealing with your demons. You inspire me and you should continue to do what makes you happy. If you need to vent over a glass (or 2 or 3) of gin, let me know!
Sally,
Firstly – lovely post, well-written, insightful and true. Truth, in blogging, yes it does happen 🙂
Secondly – stop reading so much. I’ve seen a few of your posts on here and IG, and it’s important to know the difference between gaining knowledge and self-doubt/perfectionism/comparison.
It’s like me watching a John Holmes ‘Swedish Leisure Video’. I appreciate it for its art, but mainly because I couldn’t be that man – much as I may want to.
Do what YOU do best – write your way, and that resonates. It’s the imperfection that resonates, not the perfection.
When you dig deep into all this BS, those trying to show their perfect lives the most are often the ones with the most flaws. Even Hugh Grant, who most women drooled over at the time, got caught with a skanky ho on the back seat of a decrepit car when he was engaged to the most beautiful woman in the world at that time.
Thirdly, trust in the power of apps, technology etc. to help you over this hurdle. I’ve posted on your IG with a few tips, but seriously – embrace the ‘just get it written’ mentality. If you really want to face your fears, try what I did when I was always trying to write the most perfect I could – abandon the draft. Forget saving, and coming back. Push yourself to just write, as a one-shot deal.
Check out this app if you have a Mac. It will scare the bejayasus out of you, but it will work.
Flowstate.
You start writing, and if you stop, the words disappear. Scary, hey? But it will spark you up like an OAP visiting a brothel with a wholesale box of Viagra.
Fourthly, I was like you, in that I’d have an idea for an article, start writing, save it, want to improve it, and then go off and do this many times over. That WordPress drafts list lengthened so much, I had to scroll back a few pages to find a published one.
What helped me? An Editorial calendar – in this case CoSchedule. Seriously, it’s the first tool I would recommend to any blogger, because it can do so much.
Now, I plan my articles, series and content on a visual calendar. If I wish, I can schedule it so it appears on the calendar as a ‘to do’- which either builds discipline – or you can link articles to it (via Evernote).
How does this help? Because every time I feel inspired, I don’t want to feel compelled to write a blog post. I may see an article that gives me inspiration, well I can save that as a possible idea – and accept that I may not write anything. It’s fine if I don’t.
I feel you may benefit by breaking down that list of drafts to relieve some of the pressure. Some articles could be published right away, and others perhaps keep in abeyance and perhaps merged with others to ease the burden of article overload.
Here’s a link to take a look, and you should get a free trial with it.
bit.ly/2tW6FSY
They’re also usually very good an extending the trial, just ask them for more time 🙂
I also find it helps with many other chores of blogging – social media, republishing and broadcasting is a snap and generally, it just makes one more organised rather than overloaded.
Hope this helps, and most of all, just keep up the great work 🙂
Wow Sally I can so relate to this. Since leaving Dubai my little blog has floundered as I don’t feel anything interesting enough to share happens to me now. But what you say about Imposter Syndrome I have felt many times in my working life..always expecting to be found out as not worthy at any moment.
Thanks for sharing this. It is such an authentic and valuable post. Seeing people’s perfect lives day in and day out on social media (or at least that’s how it seems right as everyone shares the best stuff) can make you over think. Please dont stop posting your wonderful articles we miss you.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m posting it on Twitter, it is so important!
I had to smirk, the majority of my blog posts over the last year have been apologies for not posting very often!
I was stunned when I first heard of imposter syndrome. I work hard at school and I even got awards, and I felt like I hadn’t really done anything, I was confused with someone else, and anything I HAD done wasn’t noteworthy, but rather me figuring out how to hack the system.
I left community college, took a year off and am about to start university while also trying to enhance my writing career. It’s daunting, and I feel like I will be exposed as a fraud, my luck will run out.
I really appreciate the information you’ve shared here. It means so much to so many people experiencing the same thing!
Sally this is interesting read, I know many business women has that impression of themself that they are kind of cheating, that they were just lucky and do not allow themselves get crefit they actually deserve, I can relate to the neurotic impostor I think I am one myself.
Oh I like your blogging aporoach, thought of that too, and decided I do and post what I like and thats it.
Tjank you for sharing this personal insight, I hope I belong to that group of genuine peoplle whose ideas and opinions matter.
Wishing you goid simmer and looking forward your posts, loving your writing style.
-Minna
oh dear sorry for typos, its the ine finger method with Iphone
SNAP SNAP SNAP! As you know from Instagram where I commented on your photo there, I feel exactly the same, and I suspect reading the comments there and here, we are not alone.You are a truly talented person Sally, I am inspired by your writing and photography skills, and I hope that given I also feel like an imposter sometimes, you will take that as a pure, unadulterated compliment! You were very brave to write this, and I hope that opening up in such a public way has been cathartic for you…..just by reading this, you have made me feel 1000% better in myself, as I realise I am not alone in feeling this way. Carry on with what you do best, you really do inspire and encourage so many of us out here! Karen
Hello Sally … I second so many of the comments above, and have read and thoroughly agreed with the article that Sarah May Grunewald mentions abov. I think that there is a peculiarly English way to being modest, and which was in full force probably until the 1970s?, well until Thatcher and reaganomics anyway. I presume that you were brought up with it too. This ‘English’ modesty can’t ‘cope’ with the way we are supposed to ‘shine’ in the social media overload these days … its brashness, its look-at-me, its I-win-you-lose, its too-fast pace of change facets do not strike a chord with the values that we grew up with. I think that the imposter syndrome also has something to do wth this. Anyhow, I like your ‘voice’ and what you have to say and how you say it. Hurrah for Sally!
Sally, I have read all of the comments here, on your Instagram post and on your Facebook page. I do not have anything new to add to what has already been said except that there are many like me who adore you and admire your work. No one writes like you, Sally. You are unique, your voice is unique. I totally understand the impostor syndrome. Both my Instagram account and my blog has suffered due to all of the reasons you have stated above and I get every bit of what you have shared. I wish things weren’t so difficult for those who just want to write. And be read. But it is what it is. Please do not give into all the pressures and do what you do. Do you!
“When my blog was in its infancy I was happy to do the best I could and just publish for the pleasure of sharing a variety of topics.” Remember that. Your blog has always taken me places that I’ve never been and am unlikely to go. I hope you’ll keep doing that, because it’s really special.
It is very easy to be awe struck and become a perfectionist never feeling what you do is goid enough. So I totally hear you Sally, since I started blogging the bar has been raised and then some. So as you say posts take far longer to produce and it is stressful. Your instagram feed makes me feel inferior so it’s really an eye opener to hear say all this. I hope you regain your confidence because if you’re enjoying yourself then your readers will too. At the end of the day listen to your heart and be guided by that – over thinking things stifles creativity.
What a lovely, and honestly refreshing post, Sally! 🙂
In a world where everything is instant, and quite often offered on a plate, people can get caught up, and feel like they are missing out on something.
In the end, the only thing that matters is how you feel, and what fulfills you regarding the content you create.
Hi Sally, thinking of the sudden realization that I had that it was YOUR blog that I have been reading all this while, when I met you on the Kyrgystan trip and the personal validation that it (the blog) and you are genuine was very important to me after meeting you. Too many people out there on the social media world, who project a very unreal version of themselves, and your honestly is refreshing. Being self aware, seems to also be a rare commodity in this world of instant gratification. Like many others, I enjoy your posts and visual interpretations, so please keep doing what you do.
I just hit publish on a post that was sitting in my drafts for almost 2 years. I think all of us can relate to this. A good read and thanks for being so honest!
Gosh, Sally. Spot on. An inspiring read – thank you.
Great article, really enjoyed reading it. Lots of it resonates for life in general not just to blogging. Nice to be on holiday and get time to peruse interesting things. 🙂🙂 ps. Now worried my comment will not be up to par with clever, insightful comments…think I am getting where you are coming from!
This was great. I’m glad you tackled this. I think i’ve had a bit of imposter syndrome lately too. Its hard to work so creatively all the time!! Sx
Thank you THANK you for this! I am completely new to the blogging world for this same reason: My fear of inadequacy and knack for comparison was leading me to shut down this the opportunity for myself. It’s great to hear that I am not alone in this, and maybe the first step to kicking this is to finally, finally, FINALLY take the plunge and put my written works out there. Most appreciated!!
This article is amazing; being new to the blogging world and worrying about what I’m posting and what responses I’ll get is so nerve-wracking. Thank you for this inspiration.
‘even if our heads know that no one can really live like that and that nobody is perfect, envy, comparison and those feelings of inadequacy steal into our hearts. ‘
I’ve been struggling with comparing myself with others too in the last few months. What a damp it can put on ones emotions.
I understand why people say to get a niche for your blog, but it was never practical for me. There are too many beautiful things in this world to just stick to one.
You’ve mentioned several topics in this post that struck home for me. It was like I was reading my own dairy. Great post (and no i do not have wool over my eyes) 🙂