The imposter syndrome and my goals

So I haven't written a blogpost for weeks and today I've already made 2. It must be the weather, a day to write with a cup of tea.

If you follow me on social media, you know that I try to be as transparent as possible about my life. If you ask me something, I'm an open book. Now, there are definitely some things that many followers have questions about, but I don't share about them in a big way. For example, my relationship status and whether I want children (the question when you're approaching 30, iiiiiiiiiiiiritant). Luckily, there are also plenty of things that I do share about and today I'm going to share some of my goals with you. I do want to say that these are my goals, you shouldn't feel bad if you have other goals at this age and you definitely shouldn't feel bad because I seem to have something that doesn't feel feasible to you. Of course, it all looks nice, having your own store, webshop, fun videos on social media. But don't forget that every house has a cross and you never know what's behind it. You see 5 minutes of my day and that is definitely not the moment that I am sitting in front of the fridge crying because I got my period and my boyfriend (oops spoiler) ate the snack that I had been looking forward to all day. On my bad days, not only when I am on my period, I am not Dominique but Dominica. I behave like a strict German woman who can't stand anything and can burn the ground under everyone's feet. So, now that I have also established myself as a normal person and not a perfect social media person, we can continue with my blog.

My goals

I honestly suffer from imposter syndrome. Since I find it hard to explain what it is exactly , I asked ChatGPT for help. ChatGPT says the following:

Imposter syndrome is a phenomenon that many people experience, regardless of their success or achievements. The feeling that you are not enough, that you do not deserve your success, and the fear of being exposed as a “fraud” can have a major impact on our lives and work. In this blog, we explore what imposter syndrome is, how it manifests, and how we can overcome it.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which people question their own successes and feel that they do not deserve what they have achieved. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and even depression. Often, people with imposter syndrome believe that they have been lucky or have external factors that have helped them, instead of recognizing their own abilities and hard work.

How do you recognize it?

Imposter syndrome can manifest itself in different ways, such as:

• Skill Doubt : You don't believe you have the skills others see in you.
• Fear of Failure : You are constantly afraid of failing or being exposed as someone who is not qualified.
• Comparisons with others : You often compare yourself with colleagues or friends and feel inferior.
• Minimizing successes : You see your achievements as less valuable or as a coincidence.

Who Is Affected?

Almost anyone can experience imposter syndrome, but it is more common among perfectionists, people with high expectations of themselves, and those who are new to a role or environment. Women and people from minority groups often report higher levels of imposter feelings, possibly due to societal pressure and stereotyping.

Thank you ChatGPT, I couldn't have said it better. The imposter syndrome. I find it hard to achieve my goals in my opinion and when I have achieved them, I can't see that I have achieved them. Because then I have already adjusted my goal and it has to be bigger, better and more. Quite annoying sometimes. I made a vision board at the beginning of this year. But I recently realized that these were long-term goals and that is why, in my opinion, I will not achieve them. Now I am going to set good short-term goals and really think about them when I have achieved them. For example: I would like to reach 10,000 followers on Instagram (don't worry, my life goals are not only social media-oriented). I buy a good bottle of wine and when I have achieved this goal, I can open it to celebrate. I put the bottle in my sight with a nice card on it. This way I am busy with my goal and I will achieve it faster. Now of course you don't have to do this with alcohol, you can also choose a much too expensive (second hand) designer bag or another gift for yourself. As long as it motivates you!

A few other goals I have are for example halving my sugar intake, exercising 3 times a week and meditating every night. These are goals purely for (mental) health. But these are also the things that are most often neglected. I have so many excuses for myself; tired, don't feel like it, I'll do it tomorrow. While I also know that if I don't add these things back into my daily routine, I will quickly feel depressed again. Sometimes even close to depressive.

The last 2 or 3 years I have had a lot to deal with in terms of work. I am too trusting and I have been caught out a lot. I have had to give up a lot in terms of doing fun things. In 2025 I want to make more trips. I love Great Britain so this is definitely on my list for the coming months.

Long term goal

I'm going to share my biggest long-term goal with you. I would like to have multiple stores spread throughout the Benelux. Uh, wrong, I 'm going to open multiple stores in the Benelux. I have a plan in my head and I know I'm going to make it happen. Although it would help if I had less imposter syndrome every now and then haha. This is my biggest dream. I see the market and the shifts and I think that I and my growing mini team can thrive on that. I expressed this goal to someone at the beginning of this week. This person thought it was too ambitious. I can then feel a moment of doubt when someone says something about it. But shortly after that I can let it go. A lot of people were skeptical when I said I was going to start a store. In fact, almost everyone around me advised against it. Because 'maybe this will happen and maybe that will happen, maybe you can't pay the rent'. Well, I'll tell you, it will definitely happen at some point that you can't pay the rent or another bill. And that will be fine too. It's not the end of the world if you can't pay a bill once. It's a shame if you're enthusiastic about something and many people in your own circle advised you not to do it. Often because in their eyes it's 'not realistic'. In my eyes no dream is not realistic or not achievable. Take the risk honey. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Of course I have many more goals. But I find these a bit too personal to share. Maybe that will come later. I am very curious about your goals and whether you recognize yourself in the imposter syndrome? Leave a comment. I wish you a very nice month with your loved ones, family and/or friends. But also if you spend these days alone with your pets. Until next time!