There are some wonderful people in my life in the throes of imposter syndrome right now. It comes with the territory of moving towards the unfamiliar—be it a new job, bigger job, or other unexplored terrain.
My truth: I’m among them. 🙋🏻♀️
I closed out last year with an unplanned surgery. The post recovery spanned weeks, and in the ramp back up, I found myself getting snagged by doubt.
My answer to this strong inner critic voice: “say more.” I turned up the volume and listened intently to the soundtrack running in the background.
For me, “turning up the volume” played out over a journal page as I captured uncensored thoughts. The airtime I allowed my inner critic was also time bound—they had the mic but for only 15 minutes.
I was surprised by what poured out, but the insight came as I turned the volume back down to take stock.
I dropped my pen, took a breath, and read my rushed writing. Somehow, I felt better.
I fact checked the validity of the more outlandish thoughts. I met my thoughts with compassion and humor. My inner critic faded a bit more to the background when given space to express.
We can feel a pull to run from big emotions and experiences, but I’m working on tuning them in for just a while to process and notice gems of learning.
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