This episode is Part 2 of our four-part Consciousness at Work audio series. If you missed Part 1, we recommend you begin at the last episode. Click here to get access to bonus materials and sign up for our giveaway.
In this section, we explore imposter syndrome or feeling like a fraud, that most of us experience in our lives at one point or another — especially at work. Impostor syndrome can even happen after you have had success in business. In this episode, Hallie and I drill down to the core of what feeling imposter syndrome can tell you about yourself and explore how you can use the energy of uncomfortable feelings to move yourself forward in the right direction. We talk about how to sit through negative feelings to allow them to pass, rather than to distract ourselves away from them, and the letting go that helps us gain clarity.
In this episode, you will learn about:
- The struggles you face at work present an opportunity for you to get uncomfortable with being uncomfortable, which pushes you to grow.
- The most difficult thing you can do is learn to let go, but it’s also one of the most powerful things.
- It’s all so simple, but we allow our minds to complicate everything.
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Timestamps:
[2:55] Almost every professional at one point or another has a moment where they feel like a fraud or an imposter. It may happen when you are promoted, in a new role, or switching gears in or outside of your industry.
[4:39] We discuss Adam’s realization that being conscious at work was the way out of feeling like a fraud. Things started to go really well, and not only was he no longer struggling, but the company was winning awards and he wasn’t needed for any of the day-to-day operations.
[7:15] The whole point of building a great business is being able to succeed through others, yet sometimes right when we get to that part we start to question our success or doubt that we deserve it.
[10:24] For leaders that get to this place, it’s important to remember that your job may no longer be to do, but to learn. Many of the great leaders read for hours a day or constantly have a book ready at their side. People have this idea when work has to look like a struggle when really actually learning and growing so you have clarity is your biggest asset.
[12:30] As your job evolves, you have to go and evolve too. This is a message for not just leaders, but employees as well. When the energy of the subtle feeling of imposter syndrome arises, you know it’s a sign to acknowledge it, accept it, and surrender to it at first rather than trying to fight it. Let it pass.
[14:33] The mind tells us that we have to go and get busy to make us feel better, so many times leaders will insert themselves in meetings and micro-manage when they don’t have to. This doesn’t actually get rid of the feeling of being an imposter, it just masks it. It can feel incredibly uncomfortable, but the more you can sit in the feeling, pause, and then take action, the more aware and conscious you will become.
[19:17] When you are conscious you may know the feeling is uncomfortable, but you don’t have to distract yourself, you allow it to pass. When you are unconscious, there is a feeling of wanting to act from emotion. The antidote to getting tangled up in this energy? Give the person you are arguing with a hug or the space for them to say how they are feeling without reactivity.
[31:00] We discuss the rope analogy about letting go. When you keep holding on you resist the present moment, but when you let go you gain clarity and actually end up becoming the best at whatever it is you are trying to do.
[36:17] When we boil down most of our greatest fears, it actually comes from the shame and embarrassment of not loving or accepting ourselves fully. When you let go of needing validation, something like public speaking has much less of a need to have a certain outcome.
[43:08] You can both play at a big level and not need validation from the outside. We cite Ray Dalio as an example of this.
[48:22] It’s all so simple, but we allow our minds to complicate everything. If you no longer need anything, it’s all so simple.
