Outrunning Self-Doubt
As the C.E.O. of You, your #1 responsibility is to protect how you think about yourself.
"The solution to imposter syndrome is the rather liberating
decision to stop trying to get rid of it and instead to get good at it."
Rich Litvin
Coach, Author
Self-doubt touches all of us at some point. According to research, 70% of us – 2 out of 3 – have experienced imposter syndrome.
Getting good at it (getting good at managing it) takes work.
Getting good at it has a payoff that has a return on investment (insert freedom, confidence, certainty) far greater than the effort required.
When self-doubt sets in, it:
-Erodes your confidence that tugs at your ability to perform at your best.
-Impedes your happiness and holds you back.
-Affects your career, bank balance, and the impact you were born to make.
(I’m sure you can add to this list…)
A self-doubt spiral feeds on itself, producing more negative thoughts that produce negative feelings resulting in more unwanted results.
You can’t outrun the self-doubt. So why try?
You can get good at managing it.
Self-doubt is a feeling, not a fact.
Any opinion you have about yourself, if it cannot be backed up in a court of law, is not true; it’s just an opinion. Opinions are not facts.
Opinions. Not Facts.
I suck…
I’m not confident
I’m not good enough at…
I’m worried that I’m…
There is just no way I could…
I wish I were more…
Self-doubt has nothing to do with your self-worth. It's not a part of your identity. It's a feeling.
When you are experiencing feelings of self-doubt, it's most often driven by something you want for yourself, something you want to have (like a skill), something you want to do or experience, or how you want to be seen.
I’m not good enough is a want to be good at something that is important to you.
Self-doubt is your protection mechanism. It's a compass pointing toward an opportunity.
See your self-doubt as:
-A whisper of who you are meant to be.
-A gentle nudge to your next step.
-A directional signal toward something important.
The funny thing (or not so funny) is that just when you’ve gotten better at building confidence and squashing self-doubt, it creeps up somewhere else.
To manage the negative feelings, acknowledge them, have compassion for yourself, and then take action towards where that self-doubt points.
When you suppress negative feelings, like when you hold an inflatable beach ball underwater, it eventually comes back up with greater force and energy.
Each time I’ve done something big that I didn’t think I was capable of, I’ve surprised myself. When I look back and wonder what I would do differently, the answer is: have more belief in myself.
I am no longer buying into believing in my self-doubt. I have compassion for it.
There are days when I’m in 100% belief that I’ve got this. On other days it’s 60%, and that’s ok; that’s even perfect. Because even with 60% belief, I’m not trying to outrun self-doubt or allowing it to take control of me, my thoughts, and my actions; I use it as a signpost toward what I want.
When you recognize your own self-doubt, to move forward, start playing the ‘If Game.’
If I were to do X, what would be possible…
If I were to X, who would I become….
If I thought X instead of thinking Y, I would be…
If I am seen as X, I would be …
If I am doing the thing I think I can’t do, I would be…
If I am good at X, it would be …
If I no longer judge myself, it would open me up to …
Take this thought with you today:
My #1 job is to protect how I think about myself.
Rich Litvin also says that if you don’t have imposter syndrome, you’re probably not dreaming big enough.
Here's to your big dreams.
If you are considering working with a Coach or want to know more about the components of a Coaching engagement, let’s get on a call with this link.
The question I get most frequently on these calls, ‘what results can I achieve?’ Here’s what one client shared:
"I was floundering in a way that I had never experienced before in my professional career. Emotions were high, I couldn't manage my way out of a difficult period at work, and I was desperate to regain my footing. Through my work with Christina I was able to not only successfully get through that tough time, but I turned that challenge into an opportunity to completely re-vision my professional future. Pharmaceutical Executive "
High performance business coaching, executive leadership coaching, life coaching combined for massive value and impact on your life and business.
