"The Heartbeat: You’re feeling imposter syndrome — here’s what it means.”
Sometimes, the farthest distance you’ll ever have to travel is between your head and your heart.
If you’ve been experiencing imposter syndrome — this issue of The Heartbeat is for you.
“Do you know how to take a leap of faith?” my therapist asked me earlier today.
I paused. She continued.
“Your whole body is in fight, flight, or freeze mode,” she explained. “Your brain, which controls your executive function, is telling you, ‘You can take this leap of faith,’ but your body doesn’t believe it.”
I nod.
“Did you see the movie Indiana Jones? The one where Sean Connery is his dad?”
I’m wondering where she’s going with this.
“There’s a scene that for him to save his father, he has to take a leap of faith,” she explained. “He has to take a step into the craggy abyss and believe that something will appear — despite his fear that he will plummet to his death.
That’s where you are now. You need to take that step.”
I groaned like I usually do when she’s telling me to push beyond my boundaries into the discomfort of growth.
“Let me ask you something,” she said. “Are you more afraid of success or failure?”
Success. Of course. I’ve failed. I’ve rebuilt. It’s success I’m afraid of now.
“You took a leap of faith when you got pregnant with Wilder,” she pointed out.
It didn’t work out the way you thought, but you got what you wanted, right? You have a daughter you would not give back for all of the world.
Your friends would have all said, ‘You’ve known this guy for two weeks!’ and yet, despite what your senses were telling you, you took that leap of faith.”
I nodded again.
“There will be times when you curse the heavens that you became a business owner and founder of your company, but if you make the leap of faith and commit to putting that foot out there — the rest will work itself out.”
If you are afraid of success, this is your sign that it’s time to put your foot out there…
And leap.
Love,
Judy
Imposter syndrome is correlated to how much you love yourself.
^ Read that again.
Here’s the truth:
It’s easier to pose as someone else than to own who you are and be authentically you.
Here are the benefits of loving yourself more deeply and how it can help you overcome imposter syndrome:
You’ll have less anxiety
You’ll have less to prove
You’ll be more in the moment
You can be a helluva lot more productive because all of your energy isn’t going towards holding up a facade or a persona of someone you think you have to be — you get to just be you!
And, if someone challenges you? If they ask, “What makes you believe that? Why do you say that?” You can respond, “I know it’s true,” and you don’t have to give an explanation, because you will know your truth at your core.
That’s when you’ll feel you have arrived.
P.S. If you need more support, book a complimentary call to learn more about my mindset coaching services.
Ever grappled with the feeling of being stuck between your achievements and the nagging doubt of unworthiness?
In my latest podcast episode 110, I dive deep into this very space — the 'Space In Between.'
Maybe my unfolding story is like yours.
How do YOU navigate your self-worth amidst success and uncertainty?
Listen to my latest F*ck Saving Face podcast episode to hear how I'm navigating it (with as much grace and kindness as I can muster).
Model, speaker, and TV personality, Misa Chien is hosting me on her platform, The Authentic Asian!
Here’s a snippet of her email she just sent out today about our upcoming conversation:
“A lot of people asked me how I got offered a six-figure board seat at only 37 years old.
There are many moving factors, but one of the main things is that I had to ignore the "saving face" upbringing of my Chinese side and go all in on building and embracing my individualism and being open.
In many instances, I feel guilt and a little bit of a loss of my identity.
It's been hard to straddle my diverse upbringing and it often feels like it conflicts with my career and my goals.
We will discuss more on this topic as we continue to help you build your own authentic self and one that meets in the middle of East vs. West values.
I hope that this story may inspire you to reflect on your own story, and how your upbringing influences where you are today, and your leadership style.
I've received feedback from many members of The Authentic Asian community that this is something they struggle with.
Thus, I’ve decided to partner with podcast host, Judy Tsuei, to discuss the cultural biases within our community, that can hold us back.
You can RSVP to the event here (happening 10AM PST on February 15th)”
