We were lucky to catch up with Taylore Graves recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Taylore, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I truly believe that imposter syndrome is a major issue across every industry, but especially with individuals who are starting their own business. You are constantly wearing so many hats and the truth of the matter is that no one person is an expert in every single field and/or industry. It is okay to ask for help! When it comes to your specific niche, for me candle making, I think it takes time and positive reinforcement to fight off imposter syndrome. In the beginning I felt so much doubt and fear, my inner monologue was often “I’m no good at this, I should just quit while I’m ahead” or, “The client is going to hate this, they’re going to realize what a huge mistake they made in hiring me”. It wasn’t until I stopped letting other people’s negativity influence my thoughts that I saw a shift. I reminded myself of all of the hard work, testing, and positive feedback from my actual clients and customers.
I also believe that perfectionism plays a major role in this. If you are constantly knocking yourself down while reaching for an unreachable “perfect” goal, then it will be a much harder to see that you do deserve the praise and achievements you are getting.
The biggest takeaway for anyone dealing with imposter syndrome is to remember to be kind to yourself. Remember to block out the noise and listen to your instincts. All each of us have is our best and that is all you can give!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I own and operate Heaven Scent Scottsdale, a candle company. We are an Arizona local, small business that specializes in coconut soy based candles that strive for better ingredients with a focus on sustainability.
Our intention is to recreate some of your favorite memories through our candles. Our goal is to help our customers with their anxiety and even depression based on scent therapy.
Our candles are made with a coconut soy wax blend that is clean burning, non-toxic, biodegradable, and renewable. Our wax is also vegan, gluten free, toxin free, paraben free, phthalate free and carcinogen free. We also use clean burning, eco-friendly, natural crackling wooden or lead and metal free cotton wicks in all of our candles, as well as paraben free scents.
We are candles with a conscience!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Be tenacious, curious and fail often:
Keep going! So often people stop just before their big break, but if you kept at it just a but further you would be able to start to see the rewards from your efforts.
Stay curious, continue to explore different options to grow and expand. Constantly learning and perfecting your craft. Ask your customers how you can better their experience.
Every single “failure” is a lesson. Fail often and learn from your mistakes. Without those failures you will never get to grow into the space you dream of. I often think of the butterfly analogy with this lesson. The story of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly is that as it leaves it cocoon it must squeeze out while beating its wings to wiggle free. This is a difficult and taxing task, however, if someone was to pull the new butterfly out of its cocoon to save it from struggling, their wings would never gain enough muscle and strength to carry them. Thus never being able to fly. In the same way, if you never struggle or make mistakes to learn from how will you be able to be ready when they really matter, when it’s time to fly.
The best advice I can give is to be strong enough to sift through the bad advice.
I think the worst advice I have ever received in my career is to “be realistic”.
To me, these goals and dreams are realistic, but from the people giving me the advice staying in a safe, structured, corporate role is realistic. At first it felt so personal and I really struggled with it. Until I realized that their advice said more about them and how they live their lives then it did about me at all. If I don’t aspire to be like them, why on earth would I follow the path they have laid?
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Take one thing at a time. It is really easy to feel overwhelmed with tasks especially when it may not be your strongest area of expertise. Usually I knock off the “low hanging fruit” or the easy tasks first to help me feel a little better getting some things out of the way. It is also important to know when to take a step back and allow yourself a break before you continue. Sometimes when we stare at a problem from the same angle we will never find the solution. Allowing yourself time and peace to take a step back and approach it differently might just be what you need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heavenscentscottsdale.com/
- Instagram: @HeavenScentScottsdale
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heavenscentscottsdale/
Image Credits
Alyssa Garcia
