Doubts, Insecurities and Fears as a Freelancer or Entrepreneur?

Is it normal? And how best to deal with it? #growingpains

Self-portrait by author.

I see more and more posts online addressing having doubts, insecurities, fears, or even Imposter Syndrome — and whether this is normal.

And I think that’s a good thing!

Because we talk more about essential and very real aspects of our lives and work that we SHOULD be sharing more about to normalize them.

In my opinion, being self-employed or your own boss is not about not having doubts and questions.
Everything is new, there’s little of your own experience to go by, and it’s often a higher-risks-higher-rewards situation.

What doing your own thing is all about

For me, being self-employed is much more about the making, especially when you’re scared.

👉Because you still believe in yourself, your skills, expertise, and ability to figure out how to learn what you need to figure out. 🚀 Talking about Lifelong Learning.

👉Because dedication and drive are fundamental parts of the game.

👉 And because it’s pretty normal to have a healthy amount of “ahhhhhh” and “uiuiui” and “I’ll just do this now” moments when you continuously push yourself out of your comfort zone — which is also helpful, if not essential, for a successful self-employment.

🚀 I like to book that in my head as growing pains.

With that in mind, each new challenge feels a tad different: an opportunity to grow, a part of why I chose this path, and ultimately a driver to put extra effort into it.

Even if it’s sometimes really uncomfortable and painful at first. 😅

Best question to get over your fears

When in doubt, one question always helps me a lot:
What’s the worst that can happen? Seriously, what? And then everything is always half as scary.

I am curious. How do you deal with doubt?