Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve had several small triumphs in terms of Twins That Travel accolades. These include a piece of BBC press and the coveted ‘blue tick’ verification on Instagram. Two pieces of news, which to most on the outside world, would seem like great achievements. Indeed, we were initially elated with both pieces news – sharing both with friends and family – before finding ourselves quickly slipping into a common spiral of self-doubt.
You see for us, and a further 70% of the population according to a recent survey, we suffer from a chronic case of Imposter Syndrome. Having blogged about it previously here, Imposter Syndrome is something that can often dominate our thought process when navigating the self-employed path of travel blogging. Sometimes unable to see things objectively, many of our blogging triumphs are marred by a chronic fear that we’ll soon be discovered as well… frauds. The blue verification tick on Instagram only exasperating this thought process last week – with my initial presumption being that there had been a terrible mistake. After all, it’s the Kim Kardashians of the world that get a blue tick, not two small fry bloggers from Milton Keynes.
In this podcast episode, therefore, we discuss Imposter Syndrome and how it affects us in our day-to-day lives as travel bloggers. As something that can worm its way into any part of your life, we delve into some of the coping strategies for those struggling to shrug of their self-imposed fraudulent status. From steering clear of the comparison trap to admitting you don’t know everything, we explore the tactics we can employ to help keep those feelings of self-doubt at bay.
We’d love to know your thoughts on this – is Imposter Syndrome something you suffer from? Do you have any brilliant strategies for coping with it? Let us know in the comments below.
As always – thank you for listening!
Listen below | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Spotify
2 comments
I had never heard the term Imposter Syndrome before reading it (I think I first saw it on your Instagram), but it immediately resonated with me and I thought, “I have to listen to this podcast.” I didn’t even know what it meant, but I had a feeling it would pertain to me. I think Laura and I must be twins (sorry, Claire, lol) when it comes to these issues because I deal with exactly the same things (mainly perfectionism and being an expert/overachiever). I think growing up, I mostly just accepted it as part of who I was and even though I struggled and it was hard, I was fairly successful at whatever I did and just kept pushing through it. But now, going on 30, I’m just plain tired of it. It is exhausting feeling like you have to be perfect or needing to know everything about something in order to proceed (especially when you don’t want to feel like that, but can’t seem to help it). All that to say, your podcast came at a good time. I’m glad to now have an umbrella term to use when describing these issues/feelings. Even though I’ve struggled with imposter syndrome most of my life to varying degrees, I’ve tried to not let it control me. This has mainly been through my faith and knowing my identify. It’s not a 100% cure, but it does help and has enabled me to live a relatively sane life. And even though reaching out to others for help is still hard for me, I’ve only recently begun to realize the importance of this too, even if it’s just to talk with someone. I was recently watching a video on tips for interviewing with a specific company and the woman said, “Don’t by paralyzed by wanting to be perfect.” Boy, did that hit home and is something I need to remember. Teachings/tips that help nurture this kind of mindset are useful. Well, thank you for posting about this topic and being so real about it. I can truly relate! I will be continuing to learn how to navigate (and hopefully overcome, if possible) imposter syndrome. I wish you both the best in your journey as well! Hopefully we can learn together! 🙂
Hi Rachel. Thank you for your message – we’re so pleased that the podcast resonated with you (and no offence taken that you identify more with Laura!) ‘Don’t be paralysed by wanting to be perfect’ might have to be our new mantra! xxxx