If you know, you know. That feeling of being fake, that everyone is better, smarter, more creative, more everything than you.
Yet, at the same time, you’re there in the arena of life showing up and fighting for space.
The upside of imposter syndrome is it helps us to identify the part(s) within us who believe we’re worthy and capable. If some part of us didn’t trust we were good enough and capable enough, there wouldn’t be a conflict—we wouldn’t even try.
This tells us that the part(s) of us that believe in our abilities and capabilities are getting overpowered by another part that wants us to think we’re total fakes--and for a really important reason.
Not because it’s being a jerk.
In this inner conflict experienced as imposter syndrome, the conflicting parts are both well-intentioned. The challenge is one part's intention may be focused on something outside our conscious awareness—like another part of you that’s still expecting and experiencing the emotional wounds of embarrassment, failure, or shame—all from something contextually similar, yet often from long ago.
The construct of imposter syndrome does us a disservice in that it typically ignores the part that knows it’s enough. We must start appreciating both our ’little protector’ AND acknowledging the agency of our Self.
Accounting for all parts of you, even the ones you feel are against you, is how we move beyond the barriers of imposter syndrome.
It's the Vulnerabold® thing to do.
Comments