Okay, have you ever experienced this phenomenon before?
Start learning a new skill
and things are going pretty great at first.
You feel really confident and capable,
almost like you were made for this.
But then something crazy happens.
You suddenly find yourself deep in the pit of despair,
full of doubt and limiting beliefs
and you just don't think that you're cut out for this thing
that you were just so confident about.
Sound familiar?
Well, I hate to break it to you, but you are not special.
Nope.
This is something that happens to most people
when they're learning a new skill or a new trade.
It is called the Dunning-Kruger Effect
and I really wish that I knew about it 10 years ago
when I first got started freelancing.
In this video, we're gonna talk about this crazy phenomenon.
What it is, why it happens, and most importantly,
3 tips for helping you move past it.
Stay tuned.
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Alright, so let's dive right into this video.
So, the Dunning-Kruger Effect is something that I learned
about relatively recently and it really blew my mind.
Most of us have probably heard of the term imposter syndrome
especially if you're brand new to freelancing,
and I've talked about it right here on my channel.
So, imposter syndrome was first described like this
by two psychologists in the 1970s.
"Imposter phenomenon occurs among high achievers
who are unable to internalize and accept their success.
They often attribute their accomplishments to luck
rather than to ability and fear that others
will eventually unmask them as a fraud."
So essentially, imposter syndrome happens
when smart and really capable people
underestimate their own abilities.
Ever happened to you? (chuckles)
They feel like they're doing a terrible job.
They don't deserve the recognition they're getting.
And one day they will be exposed as a fraud
or like, they don't know anything.
Meanwhile, all their clients and peers and coworkers
think they are amazing.
And while this is definitely something that I think
a lot of freelancers encounter
during certain points in their career,
the more common phenomenon
is actually the total opposite of imposter syndrome
when you are just very, very first getting started.
Enter the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
So according to psychology, when you first learn a new skill
and I mean like really early on,
your confidence will be at an all time high.
And this peak of confidence is called Mount Stupid.
It's science. (laughs)
And plot twist, the sky high confidence you're feeling
is actually a false sense of confidence
that's caused by your general lack of knowledge.
It's kind of like you don't know what you don't know,
so you overestimate your own skill level.
But then, as time goes on,
and you begin to accumulate more knowledge
and you start honing your skills,
you realize that you don't know
as much as you thought you did.
And that's when you fall into the Valley of Despair.
I talk about this all the time with my students
who take any of my programs.
Usually around Module 2 or 3
is when the Valley of Despair kicks in.
They start the program super, super strong
at the peak of Mount Stupid.
And then the more they learn, the more they realize
they actually don't know that much.
And it can be really, really overwhelming.
And that pit of despair can really, really hold you back.
So, this Valley of Despair is typically
when all those doubts and fears and limiting beliefs
really start to rear their ugly heads.
And you may start to feel like a fraud
or like you're not cut out to do what you're doing.
But it really has nothing to do
with feeling like an imposter,
although that might come up during this Valley of Despair.
It's just those uncomfy feeling when you realize,
yeah, this is harder than I thought it would be.
You know?
Because the more you know
the more you realize you know nothing
and that is a fact of life.
And so, it's just something we have to get used to.
And this is the hard truth about freelancing.
You are going to feel challenged.
It will feel hard.
You're probably gonna feel
like you're doing a terrible job at times.
Hey, I still feel that way.
And remember that learning a new skill
is supposed to be challenging and it is totally normal.
So despite how you're feeling,
it doesn't mean that you're failing or that you're stupid,
or that you're not cut out for this.
There is nothing wrong with you.
And when you really learn to realize that this is normal,
it makes moving through it a lot easier.
Because you are just a normal person learning a new skill
and experiencing that rise and fall of confidence
that comes along with it.
So, the real question here is
how do you get out of the Valley of Despair?
Maybe you are stuck in it right now.
Well, as you might have already guessed,
the only way out is through.
You just gotta keep going, you gotta keep learning,
you gotta keep trying and you gotta keep pushing.
And I promise you it will feel less and less challenging
as time goes on.
But listen, I get that that is really unhelpful advice
to just say, keep going.
What does that actually look like?
So, I'm gonna share with you 3 practical ways
that you can keep going all the way up
the Slope of Enlightenment to the promised land,
the Plateau of Sustainability.
So, the first thing you can do is ask for honest feedback.
Hands down the best way to grow and get better at your craft
is to receive honest, constructive feedback on your work.
And this can come in a few different ways.
First of all, never underestimate the value
of a mentor or a coach.
Someone who is skilled and experienced
in what it is you're trying to do
and can offer you unbiased feedback.
Even if you only work with them for a few months,
you'll be surprised at how much you can improve
when you're actually being told exactly what's lacking,
what needs improvement, and what's really great.
Another way to approach this
is to ask your clients for feedback on your work.
Now, this one can be a little bit more tricky
because not all clients will know how to spot the difference
between great copy or bad copy
or whatever type of work you're doing.
And clients also tend to have biases
and subjective opinions, but it is still worth asking.
So once you complete a project,
you can send an email to your client
that says something like,
"Hey, I'd love to stay in touch
and hear how my copy performs for you.
Let me know."
So, this really opens the door to having a conversation
about your work and whatever it is they say
will include their personal thoughts about your work,
maybe even metrics
or feedback directly from their customers.
And as a bonus, if the results and the feedback
are actually good and positive,
you can utilize this as a testimonial.
And if not, you use it to get better and better.
Alright, onto the next tip.
Join a community.
So, something else that should never be underestimated
in the world of freelancing or really starting a business
in any capacity is community.
Today, most of us freelancers work solo.
And unless we're part
of a community membership or mastermind,
we probably don't know or interact with very many people
who are doing the same thing that we're doing.
And not only can that feel really isolating
but it can also make it really hard to grow.
Being in a community is so freaking valuable
because you can share wins,
you can get inspiration from one another,
you can even critique each other's work.
And something that my Reignmakers do all the time
is actually host pop-up workshops
where they'll come together on Zoom
and critique each other's copy
and brainstorm solutions to a problem.
Now your next question might be,
"Okay, Alex, but where do I find a community?"
Well, you are already here.
The Posse has a ton of great community resources
including private membership groups
you get access to when you join any of my programs.
Facebook also has hundreds of free groups
that you can join right now.
And get in there, be active, be present,
start conversations with people,
and go in with the expectation
of nothing other than connection.
Alright, and number three is practice.
You saw this one coming, right?
As plain and simple as the advice may be,
practicing is really the only and best way
to continually improve your skills and grow your confidence.
Remember this, okay?
Courage comes first.
You gotta put yourself out there, you gotta go do it.
Then, comes capability, getting better and better.
And then, comes confidence.
Not the other way around.
So, take on all the projects you feel comfortable doing,
get experience, learn something from it,
and then start that cycle all over again
and you will find your groove.
And you can practice even if you don't have
any clients or projects just yet.
And one of my favorite ways to practice
is by rewriting copy, ads or headlines that I find online.
You can do ads, emails, sales pages.
Really anything is up for grabs.
If you read something and think,
"I think I could make that better", then try it.
Rewrite it and make it better.
Do it as often as you can and I promise
you will keep getting better and better.
And if you have a peer group mentor or coach,
of course you can always ask them
for feedback on your rewrite.
Now, if you are currently riding
in that low Valley of Despair phase, please keep going.
Your confidence will grow with your competence over time.
I promise.
I am rooting for you. You absolutely got this.
Until next time, I'm Alex.
Ciao for now.
Alright, guys, if you enjoyed that video,
make sure to check out the next one from me right here
and you can click right here to get a free gift.
Did you know that there are actually 5 different types
of imposter syndrome that could be sabotaging your success
without you even knowing it?
Today, I'm sharing my own personal experience
with imposter syndrome
and how I've continually pushed past it
again and again and again to get to where I am today.