Imposter Syndrome – Not Today

We've all had bad days. You're moving along fine and a piece of tough criticism or humbling feedback knocks you to your knees. Yessiree, ‘some days you’re the bug, and some days you're the windshield.’ For the 'bug' type days, we all need a coping mechanism to shift frustration and defensiveness into positivity to recover quickly and keep moving forward. After all, time is money.

I had the privilege of hearing Molly Fletcher speak last year at a leadership conference. An entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and a pioneer in the sports agent industry where only 5% of the agents are female — Molly had plenty to say. I found myself leaning in to absorb every piece of advice she had to offer. There was one particular golden nugget that I'm thankful I adopted that day — the smile file, also known as a praise file or a personal highlight reel. 

A smile file can be anything that reminds you of how fabulous you are. Thank you notes, kudos, and attaboy emails from your boss, co-workers, and customers. It could be a reminder of projects you've completed, a great problem-solving idea, or simply a reflection on a moment in time when you stopped to help someone. Examples where you've pushed yourself to be the finest you possible.

This collection of your personal best not only lifts your spirits when you have those less-than worthy feelings but also proves valuable at performance appraisal time or to showcase how much your team adds to an organization.

Our inner critic is our worst enemy. A well-stocked smile file can help you bust through that bad mood with a rejuvenated perspective. On those ‘blow to the ego’ days, press pause, grab the smile file, and refocus. Good-golly Miss Molly — what a gift. Thank you.