Do you feel like an imposter? Think you don’t deserve your promotion? Do you worry people think you know a lot less than they expected?

A lot has been written and said about imposter syndrome. It’s helpful to approach this topic from different angles, because one of these explanations and perspectives will resonate with you and will help you realise that no, you’re not a fraud. 

When you have a more positive mindset about yourself and your abilities, you can spend your energy doing great work rather than worrying about what others think.

Let’s dive in.

The Challenge

You’ve accepted a promotion and feel completely out of your depth. Maybe you’re not ready after all? Surely this job is far too big with too much responsibility. What if you fail? What if people realise you’re not cut out for it?

The Solution

The biggest problem with limiting self-beliefs is that you can’t trick your brain into simply thinking the opposite. For example, you can’t say “I believe I deserve this job” while your brain disagrees.

So what options do you have?

I’ll share one way of thinking about the problem and one practical way to resolve self-limiting beliefs. Give those a try for yourself. 

What if you allow yourself to trust others?

One way of thinking about your situation is to look at how you got there.

You worked hard for your achievements and someone had a say in whether or not you got that promotion or new job. 

What makes you doubt their decision?

I find it helpful to step away from my self-doubt and recognise that somebody put their trust in me after carefully considering their options. They have skin in the game. They put their reputation on the line. They wouldn’t do this lightheartedly.

So even if you don’t believe in yourself, trust the people who believe in you. This helps you snap out of the cycle of self-doubt.

If that doesn’t work, here is my other suggestion:

Tackle your limiting beliefs

Three years ago I learned about an exercise to address specific limiting beliefs and I have used this ever since to remove mental roadblocks from my life.

I trust that this will help you, too. Here is how it works:

You go through a five step process to address specific beliefs. The goal is not to simply reverse the belief but to create a new one that resonates with you right now and helps you move forward.

1. Identify your beliefs: Identify the beliefs you have about yourself and write them down.
   For example: Successful people are just lucky.

2. Verify your beliefs: Check whether the belief is actually true. Ask yourself if you have proof that your beliefs are actual facts.
   For example: No, there is no proof that all successful people got to where they are through sheer luck.

3. Feel those beliefs: How do you feel when you think these negative thoughts and when you believe they are true? Write these feelings down.
   For example: How I feel thinking this: insignificant; hopeless; defeated.

4. Project a new feeling: Now imagine that your negative beliefs aren’t true. Imagine they are completely gone from your mind. How does this feel? What happens in your mind and your heart? Write this down too.
   For example: How I feel without this thought: energised; excited; ready to take risks.

5. Resolve and reframe your beliefs: Finally, change the wording of your beliefs. Don’t just flip them into a positive version but create something that truly resonates with you.
   For example: What I can think instead: “I can use my talents and skills to create my own success and take inspiration from other successful people”.

This exercise works. It requires a bit of time, focus, and your willingness to be vulnerable so you can go into the feelings behind the beliefs. 

Our mindset is something we’ve built over many years, so don’t expect overnight success. What you can expect, however, are a few aha moments.

I highly recommend giving it a go. Why? Because for me, this exercise changed everything.

My biggest limiting belief that kept me from starting my own business was “starting a business is risky”. I worked through the five steps above, together with my coach, and had a real breakthrough, which resulted in me starting my coaching business.

The Next Step

You’ve read this far, now it’s time to take the momentum and turn it into action. Before you close this newsletter, write down the first limiting belief that comes to your mind.

The most common one my clients share with me is “I am not good enough”. Yours may be different, and whatever it is, write it down, so you can return to it when you have a bit of time to go through the exercise.

Take this action now, then block time in your calendar for later today or tomorrow to go through the exercise.

You’ve made a start – you can tackle any number of beliefs that come up for you.

Hit comment if you’re struggling with imposter syndrome.

​Have a great week!

Eva