From fleeting self-doubts to full-on squirm moments, all of us, at some point or other, have been visited by an imposter.
The question is how aware of it are you at that particular moment? And what do you do about it?
While playing around with the word the other day, I noticed it contained an almost a perfect anagram of “I stop me” with a straggling R left over.
At first, it irritated me, not finding a place for that one lonesome letter. But then, it occurred: This was more of a teeth-bearing Rrrrr that conveyed perfectly how we feel when we recognise the imposter and hold ourselves to account.
And it also feels damn good to shout it out loud: “I STOP ME, Rrrrr!”
Because guess what? That imposter voice isn’t yours.
But…
You have allowed it to follow you, shadow you and echo around you when it’s your own voice that needs to be heard in your mind’s ear.
Not second guessing what you think other people might think about you.
And in the same way…
YOU can turn that noise of threatening gunfire into celebratory fireworks. YOU can reframe it for you. Smile at it. Laugh at it. Rewrite it. That noise has no hold over you.
Time to shout from the treetops: I DO NOT stop me, Rrrrr!
Last week, I was thinking about all the teenagers around the UK receiving their GCSE results – Some delighted, others feeling defeated, lost or trapped, as if it’s their fate is sealed at the age of 16.
It isn’t. Life has only just got started and anything is possible.
Get in touch if you want to connect with your inner wildcat and show that imposter the door 🔥
