Imposter Syndrome

When I achieved my ACC coaching accreditation a few days ago I was initially very happy. When I saw my actual pass score I became irritated. “I should have done better” I thought to myself…. Then all the “shoulds” started to come to mind, I started questioning my coaching skills Instead of celebrating my achievement, instead of acknowledging a milestone in my coaching career, and looking at the exam experience as an amazing opportunity to learn. I was allowing the number, the % to act as a measure of my worth and my ability to do my job. I started to feel like I was a fraud and an imposter calling myself a coach. All the signs were there, the negative self talk, the anger, disappointment, agitation. When I caught myself in this vicious cycle of self destructive talk, I observed myself in an emotional spiral, that spoke towards throwing away all of my learning from my coaching training,my coaching experience, my intuition, negating all the insights that I have embraced, all the impact I have made in my life and in others. 

I took a breath, looked around my surroundings; any danger ? No… anything bad actually happening ? No, I checked in with my breathing, my physical posture. Asked my myself “why do you do what you do, why are you a coach ?” what motivates you, what you want to leave behind as an example of a life well lived, and what do you stand for ?  

 I experienced an emotional shift from there, I was able to reconnect with my inner strength, my strongest values, my WHY and step into my power with compassion and from a place of abundance. . My big share here is self awareness, recognising how subtle these types of emotions of self doubt and validation can invade your mind and hold you back from being your best self. Have a self care system in place that will catch you before you spiral downward. If you need some Clarity around what Imposter Syndrome is, and how to manage it Let’s jump on a call!