Fake It No More: A Deep Dive into Imposter Thoughts

Your mindset is the lens through which you view yourself and the world around you. It shapes how you interpret challenges, setbacks, feedback and your own abilities. In short, it determines your reality and what you believe to be true.

As a leader or business owner, your mindset ripples out to impact your team and culture. If left unchecked, limiting beliefs restrict potential by capping vision, distorting priorities and dampening motivation. Negative thought patterns drain precious mental bandwidth so you operate reactively not creatively.

Transformational leaders consciously cultivate an abundant mindset that empowers themselves and others to thrive. This means tackling distorted thoughts head-on with radical self-awareness and self-compassion.

The most successful leaders aren't just skilled at business strategy or operations. They skillfully manage their inner landscape - mastering emotions, managing mindsets and energising attitudes.

Make no mistake - this inner work is hard. But it unlocks exponential impact when done with courage and commitment.

In this newsletter I wanted to take a deep dive into imposter syndrome and how it shows up, and why it is so limiting for leaders and business owners. I see it every single day in my coaching practice, and get beyond frustrated when I see people online deny its existence or claim you can just 'get on with it'.

For so many people it can be frustrating at best, but completely debilitating at worst.

The persistent, nagging feeling that your success has been a fluke can severely restrict your confidence, creativity and vision. It breeds an anxiety and exhaustion that contaminates company culture over time.

The good news? You can break free, but let's take a deep dive into how it shows up for many people.

Feeling like a fraud....

Do you ever feel like a fraud - wondering if you really deserve your success? That little voice in your head saying you fooled everyone, it's just a matter of time before you're "found out?"

You're not alone. That feeling has a name: impostor syndrome. And in my coaching practice, it's painfully common - in fact I would say I see it show up daily.

Accomplished, credentialed leaders secretly believe they don't measure up. Despite achievements, they feel like phonies, attributing wins to luck not merit. This distorted self-doubt isn't just a 'sneaky annoyance' it causes immense stress and burnout.

Though some dismiss impostor syndrome, I see the burden first-hand:

"I'm only here because I got lucky."

"Everyone thinks I'm smarter than I am."

"I've somehow managed to fake it but it's a just a matter of time..."

The heart-wrenching truth? So many people suffer with these limiting thoughts, and they cause huge amounts of stress, overwhelm and anxiety. They might not identify with ‘imposter syndrome’ but they feel the very real effects of it day in and day out.

Here’s how I see it showing up:

• You set sky-high standards that inevitability disappoint.

• Praise triggers discomfort so you deflect positive feedback.

• You unfairly compare yourself to others through a warped lens.

• Seeking help carries shame, keeping struggles simmering privately.

• You dodge chances to shine rather than risk failure exposing your perceived fraudulence.

• You procrastinate for fear efforts will never meet your extreme expectations.

• You overprepare excessively but are never able to ease doubts or anxiety.

• You diminish achievements by moving the goalposts again and again - success never satisfies.

• You end up exhausted, burned out and falling out of love with what you do.

I have seen so many incredible leaders want to throw in the towel as the stress of living with these internal thoughts has taken over.

Does this resonate?

The good news is that there is a way forward. Unfortunately it isn't quite as simple as just forcing yourself to do things, in fact this can actually make things worse. Many people suffering with imposter thoughts are stuck in a fight, flight or freeze state and are simply unable to just do it.

However, if you are willing to be kind to yourself, work to untangle these distorted patterns, settle your nervous system and arm yourself with the tools to manage these thoughts so they don't become so debilitating - you can transform how you feel and ultimately how you perform.

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I work closely with only a few clients at a time because transformation requires commitment, attention and care.

If you feel pulled to work with me, it's not a coincidence. Listen to that inner voice and take the first step.

Availability is limited so contact me today to discuss if 1:1 coaching might be a good fit for you.