Wrangling Imposter Syndrome

…5 mindset shifts to embolden you

I get emailed frequently from artists grappling with IMPOSTER SYNDROME and how to overcome it so they move into the careers and lives they desire.
 
I’ve always understood Imposter Syndrome to mean panic, insecurity and doubt, feeling like you’re not worthy of opportunities, funds or positions of authority because you lack experience or age.
 
But in prepping to write you, I looked it up. And according the Harvard Business Review it’s defined as “as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. 'Imposters' suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.”
 
Whatever your definition and whether you’re feelings of being an imposter are connected to lack of experience or not, I want to offer you some fortifying bumper sticker statements to spur you on!
 

CONFIDENCE IS BUILT THROUGH PRACTICE

Another way to say this is, confidence without practice is just bravado. So take a breath and let yourself learn on the job. You learn by doing not by thinking about doing. You will make mistakes and when you do, try to view them as “useful data”, adjust and keep going.
 

DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT

Done is tangible. Perfect doesn’t exist. It is painful letting go of the version that exists in your head. But experiencing that sense of accomplishment feels SO GOOD. And you can only improve by doing. Get it done. Then move onto the next project.
 

START BEFORE YOU’RE READY

You can dither and plan and study forever. Start. Start now. Start before you’re ready, before you have all the info. The process of doing will be your best, most efficient and expedient teacher.
 

ERR ON THE SIDE OF AUDACITY

“If you must err, do so on the side of audacity” is a line from Sue Monk Kidd’s book The Invention of Wings. Audacious means showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. And since we will always make mistakes because we’re HUMAN, daring yourself to make them bold is an enlivening way to move through the world and get your closer to what you want.
 

FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

Trick your brain into believing you are where you want to be. Nobody really knows what they’re doing, they just have the audacity to pretend to. Take your place beside them. There is no hierarchy. You are just as valuable as anyone else. 
 
If you need a little help keeping your Imposter in check, jot down the slogans that resonate for you and put them where you’ll see them every day. And, take that first bold step.

I'll leave you with this:

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. 
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
 – Goethe

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