Impostor Syndrome… What’s That?
“…the fear or thinking that you don’t belong, or that you’ll be exposed as a fraud and fail…”
“What if I’m not good enough?”
“What if I fail?”
“What if I can’t do it?”
“What if I don’t know enough?”
“What if they think I’m a fraud?”
“I’m not that good at it anyway…”
“I’ve just been lucky…”
Does this sound familiar at all?
Me too, sis, ME TOO. These were all of my initial thoughts when I entertained the idea of starting a coaching business. To be honest, they plagued my mind for different periods of time in my life and kept me from chasing what I’m deeply passionate about (coaching) for YEARS.
What we’re dealing with is impostor syndrome - the fear or thinking that you don’t have what it takes to chase your big dreams and #dothedangthing, that you don’t belong, or that you’ll be exposed as a fraud and fail.
Here’s what it comes down to: FEAR. (I wish I could put a strike-through in that big ugly word.)
BUT, here’s the good news...
Part 1: You’re not alone.
Even the most prominent, influential and successful people deal with feeling like an impostor, a poser. Maya Angelou is quoted saying, “I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now…’” It’s actually pretty normal to have doubts and feelings like this, and if you’re wondering if you’re alone, the answer is NO.
Part 2: You don’t have to stay stuck in this mentality.
This way of thinking doesn’t have to hold you back any longer. You can move beyond it, and even use it to help you leverage situations to your advantage.
I’ll be sharing a few tips this week on how to 1) identify impostor syndrome in your life and 2) help you fight back.
When you start thinking “What if I’m not good enough?” OR “What if I don’t have what it takes?”, try these 3 simple steps to help you understand how impostor syndrome might be showing up in your life:
Question -- WHY is this feeling/thought coming up?
Assess -- Is this feeling/thought reliable? Is it true?
Reflect -- Could there be any other explanations?
If you need a little cheerleader in your corner reminding you that you CAN do it & you DO have what it takes, I’m your girl! I have a few 1:1 coaching spots opening up soon, and it might be exactly what you need to finally say BUH-BYE to impostor syndrome for good! If you want to be first in the know or see if coaching is a good fit for you, schedule a FREE 30 min. coaching call below, and let’s chat!
Because girl, you deserve to LIVE, not be held back from your big dreams.
