Build Confidence and Get Over Imposter Syndrome by Focusing on 3 Areas Overcome insecurity by focusing on your mind, body, and environment.
Key Takeaways
- A little insecurity is normal, but when it starts to impede your life and work, it becomes a problem.
- Be as forgiving of your own faults as you are of your loved ones' faults.
- Physical health boosts your mental state.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
This is part 9 / 9 of The Wealthy Franchisee: Section 2: Mastering the Mindset for Franchise Success series.
For many franchisees, the problem isn't an abundance of confidence (i.e. massive egos) but a shortage. The spectrum ranges from shyness and minor self-doubt to social anxiety and major self-loathing.
A little insecurity is normal. For most people, it's an unpleasant inconvenience, but when it starts to impede your life and work, it becomes a problem. You need to believe in your ability in order to realize it. To develop that resolve, we'll focus on three areas that require your attention: mind, body, and environment.
Your Mind
By now you should understand how important your thoughts are to your business. Optimizing your mind will not only make you more effective at running your franchise, but it'll also allow you to enjoy being who you are. So monitor your thoughts. Notice which ones weaken you and learn to replace them with positive affirmations. They're truer and more useful. Be as forgiving of your own faults as you are of your loved ones' faults. Don't beat yourself up for what you can't do or don't know. There's room for error.
Related: Explore great opportunities on the Franchise 500
You're so great in so many ways that your strengths will compensate for any shortcomings. At the same time, keep working to improve. Never stop learning. Most powerfully, practice gratitude. That means wanting what you have and loving who you are, rather than getting what you want and changing into someone you're not.
Your Body
Your body and mind are connected. When you're sad, you cry. When you're stressed, you ache. Fear, excitement, and arousal all manifest in physical ways. Our brain creates hormones and chemicals based on thoughts and feelings, and vice versa. Changes in our physiology directly impact our thoughts and feelings. In other words, physical health boosts your mental state. So exercise, eat well, and take care of your appearance, which includes grooming and dressing for success. When you look good, you feel good. A lot of franchisees neglect their health—it's easy to do when you get busy. But I've observed that wealthy franchisees tend to make it a priority.
Your Environment
Your environment is the world around you, and it affects how you feel about yourself. Physically, keep your spaces tidy and organized. Keep your car clean, and keep your desk and all flat spaces clear. Socially, expose yourself to positive people and cut loose the dead batteries. You know who they are. Everyone in your life should make you feel better about yourself. Make it your mission to boost the mood of everyone you come into contact with. Improving the world around you will improve the emotional world within you.
Related: Discover 5 Top Retail Franchise Opportunities to Invest In
All three of these areas deserve an entire series written about each of them. My main point is that confidence is something you can actively build. Your business (and your life) will be better for it.
Impostor Syndrome
Sometimes confidence problems manifest as impostor syndrome. Ever feel like you're faking it? Like you're pretending to know what you're doing? That's impostor syndrome. I get franchisees talking about this all the time at my presentations, often for the first time. They're surprised by how many of their colleagues share these feelings. It goes beyond the negative self-talk many of us engage in. It's the belief not just that you're inferior, but that you're a fraud altogether. You're only an impostor if you're representing yourself as something you're not.
Being a franchisee doesn't mean you understand everything about the business—in fact, it means you want to learn more and are paying someone to help you. Outsourcing the expertise is smart. You still need to learn as much as you can and work hard, but you don't have to pretend you know more than you do. Have a question? Raise your hand. Need some help? Make a call. That's what you're paying for.
And don't let other franchisees in your system intimidate you. Wealthy franchisees are always happy to help or answer a question. Plenty of people helped them. You're not an impostor. If you've signed the papers and paid the fee, you're a franchisee. Own it. In the end, it comes down to focus. The more you focus on yourself, the less effective you'll be. The more you focus on others, the wealthier you'll get. You might be an amazing person or you might be terrible.
Related: Here Are 4 Big Franchising Trends You Should Know About
Either way, no one cares—they're too focused on their own issues. So don't even worry about it. The sooner you realize your business isn't about you, the sooner you can do the work that will fast-track you toward success. Wealth is a result of what you put out into the world. So accept your imperfect self, know that wealth is within your reach, and go get it by focusing on your team and your customers. There's no better way to build your business.
