The Energy of Imposter Syndrome: Paralysis, Manifestation, And "Arrival"
Over 110,000 applications to start a new business were filed in the US the week of August 10, 2020.
I'm willing to bet that 99% of the people who actually submitted the paperwork to DO the damn thing were thinking, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm not a real CEO!"
That's how I felt when I first filed for an LLC. I remember simultaneously feeling like a total joke and also totally proud.
And I guarantee for every application that was filed, 5 more are sitting as drafts on other people's hard drives with the exact same narrative: "I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm not a real CEO..." *saves to folder deep in the Cloud where dreams go to die*
A whopping 70% of people experience Imposter Syndrome — that familiar feeling (if the stats are right) of being a total fraud, of faking it, and just waiting for the rest of the world to figure it out.
There's real energy behind this that I've been trying to figure out for a while.
In the North Node, our private members' community, and within many of our workshops and classes at Holisticism, I'm asked about Imposter Syndrome a lot.
I get tripped up and don't know how to answer this in the moment, because while I feel scared sometimes as an intuitive business owner, I don't necessarily feel Imposter Syndrome anymore. My Imposter Syndrome kind of disappeared when I met enough cis-het male CEOs who had no idea what they were doing. [Spoiler: No one really knows what they're doing, and that's kind of wonderful]
This article will talk a little about where Imposter Syndrome shows up, and throughout it, I mention how vital noticing Imposter Syndrome is to actually getting past it so you can do that big beautiful thing that you’re MEANT to do on this planet. And at the end of this article, I’ll give you some clear steps on how to change the energy of Imposter Syndrome and transform it from something that sucks your energy away to something that gives you energy and makes you more magnetic.
Imposter Syndrome Sabotages The Most Genius People Out There
But I wanted to figure this out because Imposter Syndrome seems to be the #1 thing that holds amazing, talented, GENIUS wellness practitioners and would-be intuitive entrepreneurs back from unleashing their brilliance to the world.
Imposter Syndrome is absolutely ruthless because it doesn't just go away once you start that business. It fucking lingers, dude. It then takes over, runs the show, and eventually crashes your work into a fiery abyss.
We think that when we "manifest" the perfect job, or finally achieve that business goal, or officially ~arrive~ with a write up in the New York Times that our Imposter Syndrome will just resolve itself like a PMS pimple.
Unfortunately, nah brah.
If we don't address IS head-on, it persists. And eventually, it steals our joy, energy, creativity, and magic.
A Sign of Imposter Syndrome? Your Instagram
Here's a perfect example: Instagram.
Instagram absolutely sucks ASS for most people. And that's because it's a platform full of people feeding their Imposter Syndrome.
Now, if you thoroughly enjoy Instagram, it works to bring significant revenue to your business. It doesn't take up a lot of your time, by all means, skip to the next paragraph. This won't apply to you.
But for the rest of you, tell me if this sounds familiar:
A borderline unhealthy obsession with following people who are similar to you and the work you do out of curiosity and also a little jealousy
Spending hours editing captions and photos to be "breezy," trying to get the perfect one that just ~hits~ with your audience
Paralysis for days or weeks when you don't have the right thing to post or say
Paranoia around judgment from others, fear of being interpreted in a way you don't want people to
Staying on this app even though it takes up precious hours of your life because you've seen it "work" for other people... even though it does NOT work for you the same way
Yes/no/maybe?
Do you see how Imposter Syndrome plays into all of these aspects of a high-key unhealthy relaysh with IG?
Comparison to others
Hyperfocus on how you're perceived by others, worry about others seeing the real you
Indecision, fear around making a decision and being "wrong"
Trying to make something work for you THAT CLEARLY DOES NOT because that's how "other" people do it
Yikes, right? Now that we see it in the cold hard light of day, what are we supposed to do about it?
Know Your Imposter Syndrome Root
After experiencing and watching Imposter Syndrome for a while, I've noticed a couple flavors of IS. The thing they have in common? They keep us stuck on a hamster wheel on overwork, anxiety, doubt, and fear.
We feel like an alien. Our "type" is not accepted by society. We feel like we're in a foreign land. Like everyone else knows the unspoken rules to the game of success. Understanding your Human Design type can help with this SO MUCH.
We feel scared. Fear is frustrated control. The truth is, you were never in control of everything, even if you felt like you were. But now, you realize that there really are things that you cannot control, no matter how perfect you act or how hard you work.
We forget the context. You forget how simultaneously big you are ... and also how simultaneously the small this planet is. There were billions of people who came before us. Billions of people will come after us. There's life beyond Earth, and time beyond this Universe. And your soul is also ... huge. Wrestle with the juxtaposition of it all.
We want to arrive. To arrive is to be static. We need movement to live. That means that we are in the process of never quite arriving. As we grow, we are continually searching for equilibrium, for mastery. And as soon as we find it ... time to move again. Life is fluid.
How to Boot Imposter Syndrome For Good
So, listen — there's no particular herbal recommendation I can give you, or candle spell, or mantra to help you banish Imposter Syndrom from your life.
More than likely, you'll need to figure out a few practices that work for you. Those practices might be very different than mine.
But if you're a someone who just knows in their heart that you have something to give the world, but you're stuck standing in place, afraid to move forward and play a bigger game, here's what I recommend:
Get to know your Human Design type. This shapes how you approach your work, how to interact with others, and how other people are attracted to YOU. Super important if you're starting a business.
Give yourself permission to do things differently. To me, this is the crux of running an intuitive business. DO SHIT DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER PEOPLE IF YOU WANT TO! Business is not one-size-fits-all! It's not Brandy Melville!!!!! Delete your IG if that makes you happy!!!! It is possible to be successful, easeful, and anti-capitalist. Trust me. If you want that, you can make it happen.
Do it scared and unclench your butthole. You will not do it correctly. You will make big mistakes. Mistakes can be good. Trust me. Just come to terms with this. But don't be sloppy. Yeah, make mistakes, but do your best to be impeccable. Your work is vital, and it deserves your best effort. Get help from people who've already done what you want to do. Learn from their eff-ups instead of making your own, if you can.
Start right now. No, really, start showing up. Right now. If "file for LLC" has been on your to-do list for weeks, DO IT. If reaching out to that fantastic graphic designer is what's holding you back, DO IT. My #1 recommendation for all people no matter what business they're dreaming up — start an email list TODAY. Email lists convert anywhere from 2-30% of your clients (the numbers are absolutely abysmal on social media), and even if you don't have anything to sell yet you should start getting to know your community by getting your email list going.
And the whole email thing? That's super easy. I even made a free mini-course to walk you through it from start to finish, PLUS I give you a 50% off coupon to get started with your first email service provider. It's pretty baller.
Grab EMAIL LIST MAGIC here.
Conclusion
There's so much juicy Shadow Work to do around Imposter Syndrome — we just hit the tip of the iceberg in this article. But I know one thing for sure: Your fear of being a fraud won't just "go away." And feeding that energy by staying still, in fear, and in judgment of yourself certainly won't make it go away.