What is Imposter Syndrome and How Could it be Impacting My Massage Business?

Though it may sound technical, imposter syndrome is, simply put, self-doubt in your expertise. It may manifest as the belief that you’re not good enough, you don’t belong, or you feel like you’ll be found out as someone who’s been faking it all along.

It’s a pervasive issue that affects professionals across all industries. We think it’s important to address this specifically for solo massage therapists because you don’t typically work in teams where members can complement and reinforce each other.

We will walk you through practical strategies for recognizing and addressing imposter syndrome so that you can build confidence and position yourself as an expert. That way, it never has a chance to get in the way of your building a thriving business!

We’ve seen people ask whether imposter syndrome is real. It doesn’t seem a stretch to believe that people experience self-doubt.

However, imposter syndrome seems to manifest differently in different people. Let’s look at some examples.

The first step is to learn how to recognize imposter syndrome

Examples of Imposter Syndrome

See if you can relate to any of these signs of imposter syndrome:

• Doubting yourself despite receiving positive feedback or attaining significant achievements
• Being afraid you’ll be exposed as the “fraud you’ve always been,” even though you’re highly skilled, knowledgeable, and successful
• Downplaying your accomplishments or attributing your success to good luck rather than hard work

If you’ve ever experienced the above, you must not give in to this altered, incorrect perception of reality. Make no mistake–these are false, negative thoughts you must recognize and then dismiss. More on how to do that in a moment.

Interestingly, if you feel like you’re starting to experience imposter syndrome, it is a positive indicator that you’re progressing as an expert. You’re diving deeper into your expertise, refining your practice, and growing as a practitioner.

Once you recognize these or similar thoughts, it’s essential to reflect on where they’re coming from. Did something in particular trigger them? Was it something someone said? Was it something another professional in your space did? When you started to doubt yourself, how did it affect your actions?

Take note of what triggers these thoughts. If you can understand their origin, you can learn to recognize negative thoughts quickly before they affect your business.

Step 2: Reconnect with Your Expertise

Now that you know what imposter syndrome looks like and how it can affect you, let’s dive into what you can do to prevent it.

This step aims to stop imposter syndrome with clear indicators of your success and accomplishments. You can probably guess what we’ll suggest–it’s time to write them down.

1. Write Down Your Accomplishments

Think about all of your accomplishments, certifications, achievements, and milestones. Start by listing whatever comes to mind, or go in chronological order if that’s easier for you. Write down everything, even if they seem like small achievements. You can use each one as ammunition against imposter syndrome.

By putting them down in black and white, you have clear evidence that these negative thoughts are unfounded. Feel free to put your list of accomplishments somewhere highly visible so you can be reminded of them daily.

2. Reflect on Client Success Stories

Take a minute to reflect on every client success story and every happy client who continues booking appointments with you. Think of all the people you’ve helped and all the value you’ve added over the years.

Are you keeping track of these client success stories and asking for client feedback and testimonials? Revisit them to remind yourself of your effectiveness as a practitioner.

3. Create a “Wins” Journal

Even if you don’t have a book full of positive testimonials, you can create a journal documenting your successes. We’ll call it a “wins” journal. Every time you help a client solve a problem, make someone happy, or finish something you’ve meant to do, write it down in your journal.

You might not have gotten a testimonial, but maybe one of your clients had a word of praise to share with you after a session. Write it down before you forget; soon enough, you’ll have a journal full of wins.

In all of this, remember that every expert starts somewhere. Even if you are new to your field, it’s important to focus on your progress rather than dwelling on the gaps holding you back.

Step 3: Shift Your Mindset from Perfection to Progress

Speaking of progress, moving forward is the goal, not perfection. There’s no need to be perfect across every facet of your business. Striving for 100% perfection will only hinder your progress, frustrate you, and leave you feeling unfulfilled, at best. At worst, it will cause you to take no action at all.

We covered this concept in our post on what to do when you get stuck, but if you’re prone to perfectionism, remind yourself that 85% is good enough most of the time. This is especially true for new tasks, like positioning, marketing, and so on.

You can adjust as you go, and it’s always easier to change something once you’ve started working on it. Take your website, for example. If you can get it 85% right, you can always return to it and make adjustments. Whether you make minor tweaks or big changes, you’re not starting with a blank slate.

Learning and adjusting is all part of the process, as is making mistakes. Mistakes are only negative if you don’t correct them or take the time to learn from them. Reframe mistakes in your mind as learning experiences rather than signs of inadequacy.

Likewise, you can shift your thinking so that you view challenges as opportunities for development and learn to embrace them. If it’s something you’ve never done before or it makes you uncomfortable, conquering it shows that you’re progressing in the right direction.

For every victory, big or small, go ahead and celebrate along the way. Note progress you’ve made in your wins journal. Even small victories can be huge confidence boosters, helping you gain and keep up momentum along your journey.

Step 4: Build Confidence Through Action

So far, we’ve covered several important mindset shifts. Now, it’s time to take some actions to build confidence and move you in the right direction.

Look over everything you’ve written down so far, including your “wins” journal, ways to recognize your self-doubt, accomplishments, client success stories, testimonials, and progress you’ve made throughout your career.

Considering all of this, think about taking small, intentional steps that prove your abilities to yourself. If they feel like you’re stepping slightly out of your comfort zone, that’s good! That means you’re moving in the right direction and that you have the opportunity to conquer that fear and discomfort.

For example, you might try a new service or technique with a client who is open to it. You might leverage your years of experience to offer a workshop or webinar in your area of expertise.

If you want to add value, start sharing short tidbits of helpful information through social media to add value outside of your office, build up your confidence, and attract new clients to your services.

Use whichever platform you are most comfortable with, whether it’s social media posts, blogs, videos, or anything else. The key is to put something together, get it to that 85% mark, and post it. Create a schedule that allows you to post consistently, and soon enough, you’ll have a steady stream of useful content for your target audience.

Confidence comes from doing, so keep moving forward and focus on your progress rather than waiting until you feel ready.

Step 5: Seek Support and Perspective

If you’re experiencing self-doubt, you’re not alone!

Remember that negative thoughts like these thrive in isolation, making solo professionals like you naturally more prone to them.

This is why we always recommend building a support network, especially one that consists of other solo professionals. They don’t have to be in your exact niche, field, or even industry.

Talking to other people who are in a similar position can go a long way. Not only does it help you feel more comfortable and less alone, but it might also open the door to seeing challenges and solutions from new perspectives.

Building a network of peers, mentors, or industry groups also allows you to share your experiences and encourage others to progress in their profession.

When you have the privilege of discussing these things with others, feel free to express yourself, including your feelings, doubts, and fears. Your peers can encourage, support, and remind you of your strengths and successes.

Again, imposter syndrome is real. For some, it may significantly impact your confidence and your work. In such a case, we’d strongly recommend that you work with a professional for coaching or therapy. There’s no harm in it, and sharing your struggles openly will help you across several areas in your business and life. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to find a professional that suits your schedule, whether you prefer to meet in person or virtually.

Step 6: Position Yourself Authentically

We’re going to talk about positioning but only for a moment. This time, it’s so that you can focus on the fact that you are an expert.

The first step to that is accepting that you’re an expert. Your skills are valuable to the clients whose problems you solve. That alone makes you valuable. What makes you even more valuable is that you know why you do what you do, how to approach specific situations, and how to apply that knowledge practically to improve your clients’ lives.

You don’t need to know everything about every modality in order to provide tremendous value. All you need to do is to be good at your specialization. You know what audience you best serve and what services you’re great at. You know what problems you solve and how you help clients achieve accurate results.

So, when you create your positioning, focus on showing people how you add value and make sure you keep this authentic. Do your very best to capture why you’re the ideal choice for your target audience based on your personality, passions, and unique strengths.

Yes, this will make a big difference in how prospective clients view you and you’ll attract the right audience. More importantly, you’ll have strong messaging that you can use across every platform as a reminder to your clients and yourself that you’re valuable.

Consistency is Key

If you can recognize self-doubt and imposter syndrome before they affect you, there are plenty of steps you can take to reinforce your value to yourself. The key is to focus on moving forward, hitting that 85% mark, tweaking it later if you have to, and then moving on to the next thing.

Whatever you’ve accomplished, write it down, whether it’s a happy blurb a customer uttered on the way out, an achievement you worked hard to get, or a small win like getting your website updated. Get support if you can, whether it’s your peers with similar solo businesses or therapists and coaches to help you discover and address your doubts and fears.

Use everything in this guide and you’ll be able to push past imposter syndrome so you can bring your business to new, unfettered heights. You and your services are valuable, and the progress you’ve made is worth celebrating. Do it for yourself and your clients!

Want more insights on building your massage practice through strategies and actionable tips, check out our eBook "How to start a massage business - 10 steps to success"