One of the best ways to overcome impostor syndrome and gain true confidence is to realize that you don’t have all the answers. No one does. You might fake others out for a while but you cannot fake out yourself. The more you try the more insecure you’ll feel.
In my coaching work with entrepreneurs, executives, and physicians we regularly ask a few questions:
How Might I Be Wrong?
How Might Someone Else’s Perception Differ?
What Advice Would I Give to a Friend in This Situation?
The goal isn’t to obsess over the answers, to stay up all night thinking about them. It is simply to challenge yourself so that you can identify potential weak spots; take action when appropriate; and evaluate trade-offs more effectively. If you go through this process of questioning you don’t tend to lose confidence, you tend to gain it.
And remember, for when you are on the receiving end of a message: If someone tells you they’ve got it all figured out—run the other way. If someone says it’s impossible that they’re wrong—run the other way. If someone makes everything super complex and full of jargon—run the other way. If someone has a “hack” for everything—run the other way. In today’s day and age, especially if you spend time on the internet, a side benefit of this strategy is that you’ll end up getting a lot of physical activity in.
— Brad
8 comments