Last week I was coaching a group through their experiences of imposter syndrome. I asked each person to share where they experienced imposter syndrome and how it affected their daily life.

In our conversations, I saw two themes:

1. They feel like they don't live up to an ideal or perfect version of themselves - therefore what they have to contribute is not valuable.
2. When you don't feel safe to fail, then you won't take the risk.

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So let's talk about theme 1. Living up to a perfect version of yourself.

As I write out this phrase, it seems so...unrealistic. And it is. But the nuance I saw was that people's idea of a perfect self was actually perfect for someone else. It didn't honor their uniqueness.

Let me explain.

One of the participants was becoming a great baker. She loved decorating cakes and creating delicious sweets for her business. Her ideal version of herself was to be someone like Duff Goldman who is a celebrity pastry chef with his own TV show. She wanted everything he had and was aspiring to be him. BUT she was just ok at decorating cakes because she ACTUALLY enjoyed creating cupcakes more. Her niche was the cupcake and her passion is for these goodies. But she kept comparing herself to the Cake King. She wasn't taking the time to let herself be unique and different. She was holding herself to standards of cake decorating. But she should be holding herself to standards unique to her specialty. Her issue was that there wasn't someone she could look up to in the cupcake arena. So she was comparing apples to oranges.

So it's not wonder she felt like an imposter. You will never be like someone else. Because you are meant to be YOU.

You are special and you are important. The world needs you and the way you do things. So take pride in your way of thinking, your skills and your growth. You are important.

Many of my clients think - "This expert is better than me at it, so why would anyone want to work with me, when they can work with them?" Or "There are a million other people that do what I do, I'm never going to stand out."

But none of those are true. Yes there will be other people who do what you do. But they don't do it they WAY you do it. You have your own independent story, nuances, values, and beliefs. Those are what make you special and help you create real relationships. You can impact someone's life with one conversation, so please don't hold yourself back any longer.

Tell your imposter syndrome to step back, so that you can step forward and shine.

In the next letter, I'll expand on Theme #2 - Feeling safe enough to fail.

PS. Please Help Spread the Word.

Do you know someone who talks about not being ready or good enough to step into their passion? Please share this newsletter with them. I'm trying to reach more people and empower them to share their gifts with the world.

Thank you in advance!

Miinkay