OTE Ep. 47 Imposter syndrome is your secret weapon
This week I'm talking about imposter syndrome. Actually, let me be more specific. I'm talking about welcoming in imposter syndrome. I know the typical conversation around this topic is how to get rid of imposter syndrome, how to call imposter syndrome a liar. I don't view it that way, and I've touched on this in other podcast episodes and with other guests, but I haven't dedicated a full episode to going a little bit deeper here now. Imposter syndrome comes up when we are well, honestly, when we're doing almost anything new, right? Um, but I see it come up a lot when I'm working with clients that are new to their industry or usually launching a new offer. I definitely see it come up. If you've been in your industry a while and you're trying to do a new level of things, and by that I mean I don't just mean do something bigger or different, but also something more complicated. Maybe you're hiring a team. Maybe you're putting new systems into place to handle what you expect to be a larger lead load or inquiry load or client influx. And so impostor syndrome starts popping up anytime we're really trying anything new and it starts saying, you don't know how to do this, what are you thinking? You need to go back to school first. You need to take five courses, you need to do 20 apprenticeships. And then maybe one day you can think about trying to do this thing that you say you want to do that you've never done before, right? And that really that voice can stick in your head, okay. That's what my imposter syndrome sounds like. What is your imposter syndrome sound like? Right? I want you to sit and think about that right now, because first we have to really identify when it comes up, because if we are not careful, we will actually think that that imposter imposter syndrome is our own is our own thought. Churning is our own belief that needs to be absorbed right now. Why am I saying that if I'm also telling you to welcome in imposter syndrome? Great question. So I do want you to identify and draw a line around when that imposter syndrome starts to come up and starts whispering in your ear, what are you doing? What are you doing? Other people do this better. What are you. Why are you trying this? I do want you to be able to identify that. And then I want you to use it as a marker. Right. So identifying it's important because then you get to say to yourself, all this means now that I've identified that imposter syndrome is coming up, you say to yourself, all this means is I'm doing something bigger and I'm getting kind of scared. But that bigger thing, that thing where you're feeling scared should come up. It should be there. If you are really telling yourself, I'm going to do something different, I'm going to do something bigger, I'm going to do this harder. I'm gonna do this more challenging. I'm going to. Try something I've never tried before. If you were really going for those big dreams, they're dreams because you're not already doing them. And if you're not already doing them, then you haven't done them before. And if you haven't done them before, oh man, it is a huge thing. And if it is a huge thing, that means you're taking a risk. And if you are taking a risk, that impostor syndrome is definitely going to come up. And you know what? Good on you. Good job. I want to hear that that imposter syndrome is coming up. When we are working on your project together, I want to know that you're getting nervous about it. I want to know that this shoot feels like, oh my gosh, who am I to do this photo shoot? Who am I to launch this business? That is what I'm listening for. Because if we're doing that, then we really are doing something next level for your visuals and for your business. And if that's what you told me you want it in the first place, then I'm going to know we're on the right track. You're going to know we're on the right track. So what I want you to do is use that imposter syndrome as a marker, as a signal, as a flashlight, saying, hey, you are headed in the right direction. It feels weird. It feels uncomfortable, it feels scary. But you're on the right path, right? So identifying imposter syndrome is important because you separate yourself from it. But then you go, okay, well, if it's coming up, I'm doing something right so impostor syndrome can chill right there. Or maybe, maybe imposter syndrome has to be in the back seat. This is something that that a friend of mine used to say, shout out stays. She used to say fear can come along. But like they got her right in the back, they cannot drive, they cannot be at the wheel. And I take that with me because I'm not scared of being scared. I'm not scared of imposter syndrome. And I don't want you to be either. I want you to take its presence as a good sign that you were, that you are doing it well, and do not take it as a sign that you should be stopping or slowing down or pausing. Take it as a sign that you should hit the gas. That's good, but it's got it right in the back seat, right? It is a signal. It is not, um, a destiny, you know what I mean? Okay, I hope I have reframed for you a little bit what impostor syndrome is. If so, good job us. We've had a successful week. We've reframed things for you a little bit. Maybe you'll keep going. Maybe you'll feel a little more confident and a little better. Because here's the other thing I want to tell you about imposter syndrome is that it happens all over the place at every level. For every professional. It's just some people choose not to listen to it. Some people hear it differently than you do, right? It always is happening, but not everybody gives into it. And I don't want you to give in to it either.
