It's 2023 and we're all back at our desks, wanting to make this year a success for our Virtual Assistant business. Whether we made any New Year resolutions or not, one thing we can always be working on is our self-worth and managing that inner critic. Yes, I'm talking about the dreaded imposter syndrome.

It's all too easy to listen to the voice inside your head, chipping away at us when we're making business decisions, thinking about learning new skills or taking a leap into unknown territory. It's there when we make a vulnerable social media post or when we are preparing for a discovery call for a client we really want to work with. It's telling us that we aren't good enough, our work won't live up to our clients' expectations, we don't have what it takes to run a successful business etc.

This is imposter syndrome and it's especially prevalent for women in business, particularly when we are self-employed Virtual Assistants running our own businesses from home. We already have so much to prove and have to constantly strive to be considered as equal as men.

Luckily there are ways that we can combat this negativity and turn these unhelpful thoughts into constructive, kind reflections to help us cultivate a healthy business ethic for 2023.



• Think about why we have these thoughts: it's because we care. About our performance, our business, our clients. So make this a positive rather than a negative. Draw upon past experiences of when we were valued for our input, testimonials we were given, feedback on particular projects or tasks.
• Remember how far you have already come. Recognise your achievements and milestones that you have met on your business journey and celebrate each and every one.
• You are not alone. Everybody feels like an imposter and questions their ability at one time or another. Talk to a coach, mentor or colleague about these feelings and you'll find they will have their own experience to share with you.
• Be constructive in your criticism. If there is an area where you think you could improve, then set yourself a goal and a target to do this. Then reward yourself when you make progress!

Don't let imposter syndrome take over the joy and pride you should feel in running your Virtual Assistant business. Let's make 2023 the year we celebrate us.