# 15 Crushing Imposter Syndrome: Your Path to Unleashing Potential Art of Life Podcast

Speaker: 00:00:01

Hi, and welcome to the Art of Life podcast.

Speaker: 00:00:05

I'm Kanika.

Speaker: 00:00:06

I am your host.

Speaker: 00:00:07

And in this podcast, we talk about our everyday life and making it better.

Speaker: 00:00:13

Just simple strategies, simple mindsets to change our everyday life and really

Speaker: 00:00:20

live a life of our dreams more and more every day with each and every episode.

Speaker: 00:00:27

So welcome.

Speaker: 00:00:28

Today we are going to talk about imposter syndrome.

Speaker: 00:00:33

Yep, imposter syndrome, the one where we feel like we are not enough.

Speaker: 00:00:38

So, I might feel like, hey, who am I to be airing a podcast?

Speaker: 00:00:46

Or somebody else could feel, why are they...

Speaker: 00:00:50

a publisher.

Speaker: 00:00:51

Why are they wanting to have any dream that they have?

Speaker: 00:00:55

How can they be successful at that?

Speaker: 00:00:58

It could pop up anytime you have desire for a new dream.

Speaker: 00:01:03

So let's say you want to learn to sketch, to pole dance.

Speaker: 00:01:07

Maybe you could feel like Who the bleep am I?

Speaker: 00:01:13

Or maybe even if it is something that you do well, so let's say you know

Speaker: 00:01:19

how to bake really well, it could pop in even then, like who am I to

Speaker: 00:01:24

think of baking this wedding cake?

Speaker: 00:01:26

Who am I to open the shop?

Speaker: 00:01:28

Who am I to write a book?

Speaker: 00:01:31

Who am I to be able to sell so many books, so many products and so on?

Speaker: 00:01:40

So as I was looking at this, I started looking at celebrities

Speaker: 00:01:47

who've had imposter syndrome as well.

Speaker: 00:01:50

Now You there were many I came across and it seems that it doesn't even

Speaker: 00:01:56

matter how successful someone is.

Speaker: 00:01:59

You've probably heard of Maya Angel.

Speaker: 00:02:02

So Maya Angel is a really famous writer around the civil movements

Speaker: 00:02:07

in America, and she is done probably seven autobiographies,

Speaker: 00:02:13

at least when I looked at this.

Speaker: 00:02:14

She's got a series of.

Speaker: 00:02:17

TV shows, movies, all credited to her.

Speaker: 00:02:20

She's written so many book essays and in her own biography, she talks

Speaker: 00:02:27

about how she feels like an imposter.

Speaker: 00:02:30

Like they're going to find out I'm not a writer.

Speaker: 00:02:34

And that's after she's written so many poems and so many books.

Speaker: 00:02:41

Okay, another example, Meryl Streep.

Speaker: 00:02:44

She's the queen of Hollywood as we all know, like I love her movies and

Speaker: 00:02:48

there's so many movies I'll just watch because it's Meryl Streep in there.

Speaker: 00:02:54

So she says as well, well, one day they're going to find out

Speaker: 00:02:57

that I'm not good at acting.

Speaker: 00:03:00

Sounds crazy, right?

Speaker: 00:03:03

But yet she has that.

Speaker: 00:03:05

And to speak about scientists, there's Albert Einstein.

Speaker: 00:03:11

So he's discovered relativity, he even discovered atoms, like

Speaker: 00:03:15

he fundamentally changed science.

Speaker: 00:03:20

And yet there are times when he's felt as well that maybe it's all just

Speaker: 00:03:26

a gimmick, and people will find out.

Speaker: 00:03:31

Maybe it's comforting in a sense that imposter syndrome, no matter

Speaker: 00:03:36

who we are, how successful we are, we all tend to feel that.

Speaker: 00:03:42

It's probably not the first time you want to run.

Speaker: 00:03:45

It's probably not even the hundredth time you want to climb a mountain.

Speaker: 00:03:49

It's probably still going to pop up.

Speaker: 00:03:51

There's so many stage speakers.

Speaker: 00:03:53

So many celebrities who say, Oh, just before we go on stage, we

Speaker: 00:03:57

feel like we will totally tank it.

Speaker: 00:04:00

So it's that ugly, nasty voice that comes in and that says, You can't do it.

Speaker: 00:04:07

or you're faking it.

Speaker: 00:04:10

This is not true.

Speaker: 00:04:11

Your dream is going to come crashing right away.

Speaker: 00:04:16

Now, that can be a very, very deep inner voice.

Speaker: 00:04:23

Our own inner voice telling us, How good am I?

Speaker: 00:04:28

How capable, how powerful am I?

Speaker: 00:04:32

Sometimes, of course, it's taken from people around us, and we tend

Speaker: 00:04:37

to look at it from their labels.

Speaker: 00:04:39

So maybe a teacher, maybe a parent, maybe some well meaning person, or

Speaker: 00:04:43

sometimes some ill meaning person as well, throws a thought in there,

Speaker: 00:04:48

like, you are not capable enough.

Speaker: 00:04:51

But the voice wouldn't be as strong if we didn't let it in.

Speaker: 00:04:57

And it seems all of us struggle in some sense from imposter syndrome.

Speaker: 00:05:04

Am I a good employee?

Speaker: 00:05:05

Oh, they're going to find out.

Speaker: 00:05:07

Maybe I'm not worth this pay rise.

Speaker: 00:05:09

A lot of times with this, we will even talk ourselves out of opportunities

Speaker: 00:05:15

that are just going to present themselves just because of the self

Speaker: 00:05:19

belief, just because of this fear.

Speaker: 00:05:22

Now, talking about fear, some wise person wrote that fear is just

Speaker: 00:05:28

false evidence appearing real.

Speaker: 00:05:33

I'll repeat.

Speaker: 00:05:34

Fear is just false evidence appearing real.

Speaker: 00:05:40

So when I have this inner critic in me, which says, I can't do this, or Who

Speaker: 00:05:44

am I to think about anything, right?

Speaker: 00:05:49

It's just a false evidence.

Speaker: 00:05:52

Let's look at what you can do.

Speaker: 00:05:55

to tackle the imposter syndrome.

Speaker: 00:05:59

So first of all, that inner voice, to some extent, is always

Speaker: 00:06:04

going to be there and it's okay.

Speaker: 00:06:06

The more we don't feed it, the better it is.

Speaker: 00:06:09

Like, just let it be there.

Speaker: 00:06:11

Just listen to it and let it be.

Speaker: 00:06:15

It's like dealing with toddlers, sometimes they are having a tantrum

Speaker: 00:06:21

and the more you feed into it, the more you argue, the more you give logic to

Speaker: 00:06:27

them, the higher that voice becomes.

Speaker: 00:06:30

And you sort of tune them out and you just go, okay, this is what we're doing anyway.

Speaker: 00:06:35

Or you just ignore them.

Speaker: 00:06:38

A lot of times toddlers seem to then understand that this is the new rule.

Speaker: 00:06:43

This is what's happening anyway, and then they settle down.

Speaker: 00:06:47

Your inner voice or your imposter syndrome sometimes is absolutely the same way.

Speaker: 00:06:54

When it comes in and says, Hey, you can't do this.

Speaker: 00:06:57

Of course, listen to it, but just do it anyway and take

Speaker: 00:07:02

small bite sizes if you will.

Speaker: 00:07:04

So let's say if you wanted to start a baking business, you could first

Speaker: 00:07:10

start with the smallest of steps, just trying your recipe, just sharing

Speaker: 00:07:15

with some friends, just doing a small order, but just starting

Speaker: 00:07:19

to build your success like that.

Speaker: 00:07:22

So doing the small little bits.

Speaker: 00:07:26

And with that, giving yourself the little success bites.

Speaker: 00:07:32

So where imposter syndrome becomes strong is that self doubt, that nagging

Speaker: 00:07:41

feeling that I am not good enough.

Speaker: 00:07:44

So why not try the antidote?

Speaker: 00:07:47

Why not go with the success bits and go, okay, well, I wanted

Speaker: 00:07:52

to open a baking business.

Speaker: 00:07:54

I tested my idea and my friends really like it.

Speaker: 00:07:59

And write the small bits in there.

Speaker: 00:08:01

Write the small bits around your friends, maybe other people who've

Speaker: 00:08:05

had a look, but just create that success journal for yourself.

Speaker: 00:08:09

Whatever it is that you're trying to tackle, just doing it anyway.

Speaker: 00:08:14

Small bits, small bits, small bits.

Speaker: 00:08:17

Whatever little bits that still make you feel comfortable.

Speaker: 00:08:22

But taking that little small step.

Speaker: 00:08:25

Let's say you wanted to learn to sing.

Speaker: 00:08:28

Let's say your dream is to sing on the stage and maybe that's not what you do

Speaker: 00:08:34

the first day but what you do is you start practicing a song and you learn

Speaker: 00:08:40

that you notice your voice with that.

Speaker: 00:08:44

The second one could be sharing with your friends or sending it

Speaker: 00:08:48

out and just getting some feedback.

Speaker: 00:08:51

And another one could be around approaching other teachers and getting

Speaker: 00:08:56

some coaching there, but just seeing how that cycle happens and how your

Speaker: 00:09:00

own self esteem improves with that.

Speaker: 00:09:05

The more and more you step into you, the more and more you step into your

Speaker: 00:09:10

idea, it's like the whole universe will just come together to make

Speaker: 00:09:16

your idea a really grand reality.

Speaker: 00:09:20

You know, when I was just talking about fear and I said, fear is

Speaker: 00:09:23

just false evidence appearing real.

Speaker: 00:09:27

It's literally that you wouldn't have any idea.

Speaker: 00:09:33

In your head, there's nothing you would want to do if the whole

Speaker: 00:09:38

universe did not want you to do it.

Speaker: 00:09:41

There's a much bigger purpose to why you were born, a much bigger purpose

Speaker: 00:09:47

than just living your life every day, having the days go by, whatever

Speaker: 00:09:52

music you've got in you, as Dr.

Speaker: 00:09:55

Wayne Dyer said, don't die with that music in you.

Speaker: 00:10:00

So whatever that passion is, whatever that little thing is,

Speaker: 00:10:03

whatever that big thing is, do that.

Speaker: 00:10:07

And that wouldn't happen, that voice wouldn't be there, that desire

Speaker: 00:10:11

wouldn't be there if the whole passage for you did not exist.

Speaker: 00:10:19

It's just that you will walk a little bit, you'll see the next step in the staircase,

Speaker: 00:10:25

then you'll do a little bit more, you'll see the next step in the staircase.

Speaker: 00:10:28

It's your dream.

Speaker: 00:10:29

Your staircase is there just by virtue of you thinking about it.

Speaker: 00:10:34

Your staircase is there.

Speaker: 00:10:35

You just have to take a little step one by one by one.

Speaker: 00:10:40

The other thing you could start doing when the imposter syndrome creeps up.

Speaker: 00:10:45

is you could start telling yourself yet.

Speaker: 00:10:49

So let's say you go like well I'm not successful enough

Speaker: 00:10:53

or who am I to write a book?

Speaker: 00:10:55

Who am I to publish a book?

Speaker: 00:10:58

So you could just go well I don't know this yet.

Speaker: 00:11:02

That simply means that today you don't know it but you are on the path.

Speaker: 00:11:07

You will figure it out because again you wouldn't have had the idea, if the

Speaker: 00:11:14

other possibility wouldn't be there.

Speaker: 00:11:16

The next steps will show up.

Speaker: 00:11:20

You just need to walk that first step.

Speaker: 00:11:24

The thought I'd want to leave you with is that when imposter syndrome

Speaker: 00:11:30

kicks up, you could probably let it be, but just do it anyway.

Speaker: 00:11:38

You know, the whole Nike slogan, like, just do it, just that.

Speaker: 00:11:43

Maybe don't take the whole big steps.

Speaker: 00:11:46

Take the smaller steps.

Speaker: 00:11:48

Take the little baby steps that make you feel comfortable.

Speaker: 00:11:51

If you want to leave your job, there's something else that's really pursuing

Speaker: 00:11:55

your calling, just take the little steps.

Speaker: 00:11:57

You don't have to leave your job right away.

Speaker: 00:11:59

Just start doing whatever really inspires you.

Speaker: 00:12:04

and do that little step anyway.

Speaker: 00:12:07

Your nagging voice, your imposter syndrome, is always going to be there.

Speaker: 00:12:13

As a soul, you are really powerful.

Speaker: 00:12:15

You are capable.

Speaker: 00:12:16

Whatever you dream of, you're able to do.

Speaker: 00:12:19

And your job on earth, in this body, is to be able to surpass all your fears and to

Speaker: 00:12:29

be able to get everything that you want.

Speaker: 00:12:33

So the nagging voice when it comes up and it says, hey, you can't do this, or who

Speaker: 00:12:39

are you to think about this great idea?, you just have to tell yourself it's false.

Speaker: 00:12:47

The more and more you do it, and the more and more you even test it,

Speaker: 00:12:50

you'll realize that it is just false.

Speaker: 00:12:53

You know, the day you write your book, that day, that critical voice

Speaker: 00:12:58

which said, Hey, you can't write a book, that day, that voice gets silenced and

Speaker: 00:13:04

it was nothing but just a facade, but it was just like that gloomy, dark,

Speaker: 00:13:11

ghostly voice that was trying to keep you away from your own potential.

Speaker: 00:13:17

If you started looking at your life in terms of an adventure, and you started

Speaker: 00:13:24

thinking of the imposter syndrome as just these creepy, scary voices trying

Speaker: 00:13:32

to keep you away from the castle, from the life of your dreams, then it just

Speaker: 00:13:38

becomes a little different perspective.

Speaker: 00:13:41

Do it anyway.

Speaker: 00:13:42

Listen to the voices, listen to what it's saying, but just follow your dream anyway.

Speaker: 00:13:48

Because...

Speaker: 00:13:49

That's exactly where you need to go.

Speaker: 00:13:53

You have everything that you need to be powerful, to be able to step

Speaker: 00:14:00

into your own light and shine and spread it everywhere in the world.

Speaker: 00:14:05

Your inner critical voice, the fearful voice, it's all really false.

Speaker: 00:14:12

It's just a facade.

Speaker: 00:14:14

It's just trying to keep you from your true light.

Speaker: 00:14:19

Don't let that happen.

Speaker: 00:14:22

Okay.

Speaker: 00:14:22

So I hope you really found this helpful Do get back to me, write

Speaker: 00:14:26

some reviews, leave some comments.

Speaker: 00:14:28

And if you can, please share the podcast with your friends.

Speaker: 00:14:30

It really helps.

Speaker: 00:14:32

I am also launching a beautiful program called the life makeover program.

Speaker: 00:14:37

It's an art therapy meditation based program with five powerful modules.

Speaker: 00:14:43

We learn in.

Speaker: 00:14:44

this course to be really empowered in our lives.

Speaker: 00:14:49

We talk around dealing with our everyday lives, so our work life balance, to

Speaker: 00:14:56

manifesting, to just connecting more deeply with ourselves, harnessing

Speaker: 00:15:01

our intuition, healing past traumas.

Speaker: 00:15:04

to creating a really, really magical life.

Speaker: 00:15:08

So if you're interested, check that out at artoflifecenter.com/art

Speaker: 00:15:14

I will see you next time with another episode of the Art of Life podcast.

Speaker: 00:15:19

Thank you so much for tuning in and have a lovely day.