Rethinking imposter syndrome

I’m a fraud —> I’m new to this
I’m out of my depth —> I’m stretching myself
I know nothing about this —> I’ll pick it up
I failed —> I’ll learn from it
I’m outside my comfort zone —> that’s right where you should be

I listened to an interview with Steven Bartlett this week where he flipped imposter syndrome on its head. Next time you are doing something new, you might do well to view imposter syndrome as normal and even welcome it. It turns up when we are learning, growing and stretching ourselves. In fact, if you never feel an element of imposter syndrome the chances are you are ‘playing small’ with your life - perhaps avoiding risk and limiting yourself for fear of failure. Of course, we need to learn to manage and challenge the voice of the imposter so it does not debilitate us. But next time it turns up try embracing it. It’s a signal that you are outside of your comfort zone. And that’s where the magic happens.

How far out of your comfort zone do you dare to go? What would it bring you to take more risks? What would you do if you let go of the fear of failure?