What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?
In honor of Women’s History month, I was invited to speak to university students at Husson University about overcoming impostor syndrome. Most of the people in attendance will be in their late teens and early twenties, just about to embark on their careers.
I feel incredibly honored to share this information with them, hoping it plants a seed, helping them navigate their future.
Sometimes I like to imagine whispering in my 20-year-old self's ear, saying, “Believe in yourself more.” My fantasy shows me breathing in this profound message and then handling everything perfectly for the rest of my life.
However, I am pretty sure my younger self would have said, “Believe in myself more… OK….but how?!? Can't you see what I'm dealing with already???”
The truth is, those were hard years for me. My inner world was noisy, believing I was unloveable, and unworthy in oh-so-many ways. I needed more than belief. I needed tools.
I always want change to be as easy as flipping on a light switch in a dark room. If you find the switch, you're forever changed, and it's great!
The truth is changing thought patterns and behaviors to shift your inner landscape is more like lifting weights. The more you practice it, the stronger you get.
I hope that these students remember that “lady who gave a talk at my college once” and take a deep breath, remembering their opinion matters even if they are the only woman in the room.
If they are creating something new, feeling worried that it's not that important or isn't that good, they'll remember to reach out to a friend and keep going.
If they experience microaggressions in the workplace, they remember that those comments are outcomes of our patriarchal society and can maintain their worthiness.
And so much more…
How can things be different if you know how to tame your inner critic?
What if you knew how to tap into your courage and take aligned action, even if you don't feel confident yet?
What if you knew how to recover from mistakes and failures?
These are the tools I want to bring to the world because, as Dr. Valerie Young says, “Everyone loses when bright people play small.”