A few months ago I bought myself a beautiful trench coat from a posh shop at my local shopping centre. I’d been wanting a proper, grown-up trench coat for ages, so on this particular shopping trip, instead of making a beeline for my usual high street stores, I went into each of the little boutique shops that I normally always walk straight past.
You see, for a long time I felt like those shops weren’t meant for me. Crazy, I know, but I felt like they were too fancy for little old me, so I never even used to go in them, let alone buy anything from them.
Anyway, back to my beautiful trench coat…
Earlier this year, I started working with a high-end business coach, and part of that involved reading a lot of books on mindset. One of the books that had a huge impact on me was Leveraging The Universe by Mike Dooley.
In the book he talks about manifesting your desires. Part of that is being true about what you really desire. Now, like most people, I have lots of things I desire and most of them are not material objects. However, one of the ‘things’ I had a desire for was a well-made, classic trench coat that I could buy as an investment piece.
So on that shopping trip I had a bit of an epiphany. I realised there was absolutely no reason why those shops ‘weren’t for me’. After all, who were they for?
At that moment, something inside me switched.
So I went into each of those half dozen stores and had a throughly lovely time, browsing the beautiful clothes and trying stuff on in the fancy changing rooms while the friendly, ever-attentive shop assistants helped me out (no communal changing rooms with strip lighting here thank you very much).
When I found the coat I wanted, it was wrapped in tissue paper and put in a pretty bag. The whole experience was a joy.
But what’s funny, is that I’ve walked past those little boutiques so many times and never even looked in the windows because a little voice in my head was telling me they weren’t for people like me.
Um, ok.
My problem was I was suffering from ‘Little Old Me’ syndrome. Thinking that I wasn’t posh/rich/good enough to go into these kinds of places.
Of course, it was total rubbish. Nobody else was telling me this, it was completely in my head. But for such a long time I let myself believe it.
A lot of female entrepreneurs I speak to are also suffering from Little Old Me Syndrome. Ladies who I know could get amazing publicity for their business for example, are completely resistant to the idea of it, because they think they’re not interesting/clever/whatever enough.
It’s this idea that some things are meant for other people but not for them.
Which is just plain silly, when you think about it.
Getting over Little Old Me Syndrome has involved a mindset shift, but I now feel determined not to let myself ever feel like that again. It’s not all about going into posh shops. I don’t want to let Little Old Me Syndrome hold me back in anything that I do, whether that’s putting myself forward for different opportunities, or letting myself have big goals to strive for.
And it’s one of the reasons I focus on mindset with my 1-2-1 clients.
I want to help them to feel confident about approaching journalists or being interviewed or writing guest blog posts. It’s also something that’s covered in my free five-day Business Fame Mindset Challenge, which I’m currently running (it’s not too late to join in, just click here to sign up and you’ll be able to catch up).
Because we ARE good enough ladies, and we deserve to fulfil all our desires. So if you find yourself suffering from Little Old Me Syndrome then follow these steps:
1. Recognise the problem
When you start doubting yourself and wondering if you’re bright/funny/sexy enough, recognise that it’s the Little Old Me Syndrome kicking in
2. Stop it in its tracks
Try to re-frame your thinking. Instead of, ‘I can’t do this, I’m not “whatever” enough’, think about why you could do it
3. Focus on your good qualities
Make a list of all the things you’re awesome at, to remind yourself that you’re a damn rock-star
Tell me lovely, have you suffered from Little Old Me Syndrome? What are your tips for getting over it?
The post How To Get Over ‘Little Old Me’ Syndrome appeared first on Dina Behrman.
