Imposter Syndrome- What’s Holding you back?
“Lord expand my territory”, you’ve prayed, and now your territory has started to expand. You find yourself in rooms that you didn’t think you’d ever be in.
Suddenly a dark deep fear grips you. Familiar voices now arise to caution you. “You’re not good enough. You’re not qualified for this. You don’t have the right to be here. They’ll expose you for who you truly are- a nobody” and on and on the voices of doubt incessantly pound on your confidence.
So, you start retreating, staying at the back of room, muted in conversations, hiding in the shadows and you hesitate to leap into what you know is progress.
Thus, you constrict the very territory that you prayed for and stay in familiar territory, where even though small and restraining, you’ve become accustomed and are comfortably uncomfortable.
How do we deal with this debilitating phenomenon that has been labelled imposter syndrome? I believe at the root of the fear is the issue of identity. It’s how you see yourself at the core at that moment.
Here are some ideas on how you can shift from fear to truth:
- Review what got you here. Review and acknowledge your past achievements. Do this with the energy and kindness that you would for your best friend. This will help you to dispel the lies of inadequacy. Remind yourself what you’re really good at.
- Face the fear. Calling out fear is like shining a light into an area of darkness. The darkness diffuses. When you name your fear, half the battle is won.
- Caricature your fear. Have fun with your imagined catastrophe. Sometimes I exaggerate the imagined disaster to absurdity. As I step onto the stage, I become a three eyed monster, everyone runs out and calls the exorcist who comes to throw me out- this at a corporate function! As I laugh out loud, all the tension leaves me and I deliver my speech with amusement.
- Embody a growth mindset. I may not know everything about this right now yet, but I’ll learn. Yet, is a powerful word that leaves room for possibility.
- Embody your new identity- Step boldly into the person you know should be in that room. Behave like you belong there, because you do.
Feel fear but move forward anyway. Don’t retreat. Courage is not the absence of fear.
Keep expanding. Keep growing. Occupy your territory with humble confidence.
