✧ Doubt Isn’t the Problem ✧
~ Maybe it is the Messenger ~
Meet doubt with curiosity… and let it show you what it’s trying to tell you.
Many of us experience impostor syndrome. It’s the unease that slips in when we’re about to do something that matters. The voice that asks if we really belong, if we’ve earned our place, if someone else could do it better.
I’ve felt it. I find it unpredictable. It can storm in right before a big moment or slip into the middle of an ordinary day.
It doesn’t always sound like fear. Sometimes it sounds like over-preparing, comparing, or waiting for a kind of permission that never comes.
I also find it in rumination, circling what I could have said better or what I might have missed. And most of the time, nothing really settles until I shift my perspective.
I have an opportunity to choose to listen differently. Doubt isn’t always telling me I’m unqualified. Often it’s reminding me that I care.
It tends to show up at the boundary of growth, in the moments when we’re stretching into something bigger than what we’ve known before.
It asks us to pause long enough to stay connected to what’s real. And in that pause, we can remember that clarity isn’t something you force. It’s something that finds you when you finally stop reaching and let the work breathe.
When it happens in a meeting or while mediating a decision, I’ve learned to slow my response instead of rushing to prove that I belong or that I have all the answers.
I go back to the basics…
Show up. Listen. Keep moving. Stay focused.
That’s usually enough.
These voices of impostor syndrome can feel loud, but they often rise from the same care that drives us to do well. They mean you’re paying attention. They mean you want to do right by the work, whether for yourself or for your team.
So the next time doubt or imposture visits, meet it with curiosity. Ask it what it’s protecting, and what truth it’s pointing toward.
Because maybe doubt isn’t the opposite of belief….
… maybe it’s where belief begins to take shape. ✧
✒︎ If someone you know is standing at their own edge of doubt. Share this their way.
Great thoughts, thanks for sharing them. SO many deal with doubt, especially lately in this world changing faster than it ever has!
Thank you for this post Shannon. I suffer from Imposter Syndrome…not quite as much as I used to, but it still kicks around in my head. In a weird kind of way, I found the Imposter Syndrome to be a driver of my work ethic. I figured if I outpaced and out worked everyone I would be able to stay ahead of the curve. But once in a while a youngster comes in with a whole load of talent and I question my existence. But the concept of doubt being the place where belief begins to take shape is an encouraging take. I’ve gotten to a place in my life where I don’t hide when the I.S. feelings come up, but as a signal of time to evolve, learn, and take action. I’ve also found that being a mentor for others and sharing my experience becomes a validation for my existence. In my experience, the greatest gifts don’t show up until I’m actually willing to give it away. Funny how that happens. Be well.