[Part 1 in the What Gets in The Way of Our True Work series]

“Who am I to do this?”
“I really don’t know enough yet”
“What are people going to think?”
“What if I don’t measure up?”

This is just a handful of the things that we may tell ourselves when we are looking to shift into our True Work – the highest expression of who we are through our business. Our gifts. Our values. Our passion and purpose.

When we start to explore and consider our true work it brings up ALLL of our stuff.

And if you are anything like me, impostor syndrome is one of the things that likes to rear its ugly head.

Although it commonly referred to in popular culture as impostor syndrome – it is not a diagnosable disorder or condition of any kind. The actual term, impostor phenomenon was first coined by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in the 70s and describes:

The belief shared by millions of people around the world that deep down we’re really not as intelligent, capable, qualified, or talented as everyone seems to THINK we are.

It’s an experience of deep internal self doubt. Worries that we aren’t good enough. We don’t know enough. That people are going to find out that we really aren’t as amazing as they might think we are.

And strangely enough, it mainly afflicts those of us who are high achievers. We are smart cookies who have already accomplished a lot, but despite evidence of past achievements and success – there is still that lingering fear that we really don’t have what it takes.

If you deal with impostor syndrome it’s important to understand how it might be showing up in your business and stifling your growth. Some of the most common ‘symptoms’ of impostor syndrome include:

• Flying under the radar – we hold ourselves back from challenges or taking risks. We stay safe and hidden. If we don’t put ourselves out there we won’t get found out right?
• Procrastination – we often think of procrastination as not taking action and yes that is one form of it. But what I see more commonly is waiting until the last minute to do something and not bringing our best to the table because we are rushed.
• Over working or over preparing – ooooeee this is a biggie! Because we secretly feel like we aren’t good enough or don’t know enough, we will work extra hard to overcompensate for what we feel like are our shortcomings.

All of these are simply ways for us to cope with the uncertainty and fear that impostor syndrome brings up for us.

Curious if you relate to any of these? Do you feel like impostor syndrome is a challenge for you? Does it show up for you in any other ways?

Comment below and let me know.

PS – There are 2 ways for us to work together, as you feel called to do so:

A Half-Day Intensive where we work together on the most important next step of your True Work journey. Includes a 3 hour virtual intensive, plus an additional two 1-1 coaching calls to integrate and implement.

A 5-month, private 1:1 Coaching Experience to take you through the 5 stages of the True Work journey. Includes an initial strategy session, 10 bi-weekly hour-long coaching sessions, and Voxer messaging with me in-between calls.

You can learn more about these options on my coaching page.