Imposter Syndrome can be particularly powerful among highly capable people.

The more responsibilty you have, the more there can be to prove.

You may have achieved things that others consider impressive and yet you still wonder whether you are really good enough.

You may over-prepare for things.

You might work longer hours.

Maybe you avoid taking risks.

You might find it difficult to accept praise.

Maybe you beleive it was just luck and nothing to do with you.

Maybe you think you only got this job because you know someone senior.

Or maybe you getting the job was a mistake that they’ll soon figure out.

And, anyway, you don’t really know what you’re doing and that can’t last forever!

Any of these sound familiar?

The problem isn’t a lack of capability.

The problem is the realtionship you have with your capability.

What is causing this wobble?

Imposter Syndrome can sit quietly on the edge of your plate.

You may compensate for it by working harder, taking on more, always saying yes, or constantly trying to prove yourself.

From the outside it can look like ambition at best. At worst it can be taken advantage of by others happy to do less while those around them do more and more.

From the inside it can feel exhausting.

My work is about bringing this issue to the centre of the plate.

Understanding where those beliefs come from.

Recognising the patterns they create.

Developing a more accurate and useful realtionship with your own ability.

I use the practices I learned under the tutorage of Dr Lisa Orbe Austen, one of the leading Imposter Syndrome experts in the US.

This isn’t about positive thinking.

I’m not interested in telling people they are brilliant until they believe it.

The aim is something far more serious and far more useful.

Greater self-awarness, greater confidence, stronger ability to break free from long held beliefs, and greater freedom to act.

It’s not about elimating every doubt. Doubt is a great starting point for some exceptional new ways of thinking.

It’s about not letting doubt run the show.

The Result.

When the stick becomes stronger the plate becomes easier to manage.

You can make decisions with greater confidence.

Take appropriate risks.

Have those difficult conversations from a position of strength and enlightenment.

Delegate with authority.

Accept responsibility.

And truly occupy the space you’ve earned.

You don’t become someone else.

You just become the you that you know you are.