What do you do if you're struggling with imposter syndrome in your social impact work?

Struggling with imposter syndrome in social impact work is common, but I found courage and self-belief to be my greatest allies. In my water treatment startup, I wasn't an engineer and thought "there is no way I could propel this business forward." I embraced my unique perspective as my strength. Continuous learning and expanding my network became crucial. Taking action, despite fears and setbacks, taught me valuable lessons. It's okay to feel embarrassed or to face challenges; these experiences are part of growing into an expert in your field. My startup changed lives and later was sold for 6 figures. If you're dealing with imposter syndrome, know that your unique journey and passion are invaluable. Keep learning, and seek mentorship.

When I'm feeling imposter syndrome, I like to think of the quote by Steve Jobs: “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” The truth is, nobody ever knows what they're doing - not really! If we can remember that creating social change requires a series of experiments and failures until we find something that works, we can be a little less hard on ourselves when our work in social impact doesn't change the world in a day.

I think the unfortunate thing is that many people struggle with imposter syndrome. If we're not 'celebrities' in the industry, then we don't feel good enough to act, speak, or create change. I think that if you're working in social impact, your goal is to help, and therefore, no matter how small your efforts, they are valid.

Take a moment to look within. We each have strengths and insights that can be of major value. Once you recognize these, take action. Passion fuels optimism which in turn builds resilience. You'll need all three factors to deliver solutions in the social impact space. Work your way to deliver significant change to one process and then build on that and amplify the impact.

Every successful entrepreneur has had a mentor guide them. Be sure to seek experts in your field that can provide guidance and support and offer insights on how to avoid the same mistakes they made. Be humble and always listen more than speaking. It's a key asset in order to deliver meaningful change. Your ideas, solutions and vision can be sound, however it's vital to network in order to execute these efficiently.

Breaking down grandiose goals into small achievable missions is primordial in fueling team motivation and self recognition. It allows you to celebrity every win and forge a path forward to execution. Importantly, track these goals with data to measure the level of impact you are delivering. This provides trust and transparency for all stakeholders involved.

Every challenge is an opportunity for growth. I've had to face multiple situations that wore me down in my previous startups, but each time I realized, I learned more from the mistakes than from the victories. If you fall 10 times but get up 11, you'll be 10 times stronger and 10 times wiser. I suggest taking 20 minutes a day to meditate and visualize your actions. This will not only reduce stress but also encourage focus and reflection on what went wrong and how to improve.

While many of the most successful people to have ever lived suffered from imposter syndrome, it's not something unique to high achievers. I think we've all felt it at some time in our lives, that feeling that we're not worthy of any success that comes our way, or we're not worthy of an award or even a job we find ourselves in. One of my favourite quotes about imposter syndrome comes from Eleanor Roosevelt, who said 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' Believe it or not, you almost certainly *are* good enough, worthy enough. Keep believing in yourself and eventually these thoughts will go away.