While looking for inspiration for our first-ever newsletter topic, I kept noticing all the swirls of thoughts running through my mind. These thoughts were not inspirational, rather, they were devaluing and shaming. The thoughts were telling me all the reasons why I can’t write a newsletter. This part of me was surely going to hold me back!
Sharing our clinicians’ personal real-life experiences with the Intuitive community is something that we hope can help normalize the struggle of life and spread awareness and skills that are helpful and additive.
Imposter Syndrome
What I was experiencing is called Imposter Syndrome. This phenomenon holds many of us back from planning and achieving goals. Here are some of the actual thoughts I had during this period of contemplation:
- You aren’t an expert – you don’t have a PhD, and you haven’t published research, a podcast, or a TV show – clearly you can’t send out a newsletter
- Your time would be better spent elsewhere – like paying more attention to your kids, clients etc.
- You weren’t even a great writer in grammar school and high school…remember what your senior history teacher told you in high school, “Not a strong writer!”
- You were a mediocre (at best) student – you can’t put yourself out there and be honest about that
These are just a few – can you relate to having thoughts that try to limit your goals and dreams?
Scarcity
The idea of scarcity is another barrier that often comes up when thinking about taking a plunge into a new venture. Scarcity is the idea that there isn’t enough to go around to make you worthy of success.
Scarcity can also contribute to making decisions based on fears of deprivation vs. what is truly ethical/right/warranted in a given situation. For example, will I have another opportunity for this account/client/deal if I pass this up, even though I know it truly isn’t the right fit for me? If we take on something that isn’t truly speaking to us, could it end up hurting us down the road?
Listening to one’s intuition can often help and bouncing it off a therapist or trustworthy person in your life can help you navigate these dilemmas.
In conclusion…
If you are facing a situation where thoughts are connected to imposter syndrome and scarcity – your therapist would say…
- Take an inventory of your thoughts and fact check them.
- Connect to the part of you that is telling you those thoughts – is that your scared inner child talking?
- Bounce the idea off of others who are trustworthy and who have done something similar in their lives.
Further reading on imposter syndrome can be found on Psychology Today