Mirabel's Imposter Syndrome

Like many parents of young kids, I’ve seen Disney’s latest movie, Encanto, about 5,387 times and counting now. Every time I watch it, I pick up details that I hadn’t caught before, and I love how it continually engages me at a deeper level.

Let’s NOT talk about Bruno for a minute and instead talk about Mirabel.

From the first song we can see Mirabel’s imposter syndrome stifling her. “My family’s amazing…and I’m in my family so…” She’s surrounded by all these extraordinarily gifted people. It’s easy to question what you bring to the table in this case.

?She later sings, “I would move mountains.” Clearly, she wants to contribute at a higher level. She just hasn’t pinpointed her own gift. How many of us want to contribute at a higher level at work, at home, or in the community, but we just haven’t quite figured out exactly what it is that we can uniquely contribute?

How many of us have felt imposter syndrome: where we feel like maybe we’re in over our heads and don’t have a contribution as worthy as the gifts of those around us? Yet, in the end, she’s the one that brings the family together and makes them a stronger, more cohesive unit.

It takes a great deal of self-reflection to dig into our history and pinpoint what our unique gifts are. So, I propose this: shine a light on someone else and their gift. It won’t take more than a moment of your time, but it will mean the world to them.

And remember, “The miracle is you.”