The possibilities are endless!

Carolyn Myss says that every time you take action to grow, the very next thing to occur is self-sabotage. Every single time! I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t add to my willingness to move forward. Yet moving forward I must, so let’s take this self-sabotage thing on straight away.

For me it’s that feeling of being a fraud. Every time I decide to play bigger and put myself out there to serve more, I hear that voice inside say, “I wouldn’t do that, they’re going to find you out!”

Ali Brown calls it the “Success Fraud Complex” or the “Imposter Phenomenon”. Boy was I relieved when I saw that I wasn’t the only woman experiencing this phenomenon that quite literally stops me in my tracks.

Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the world’s most powerful health official was widely praised for her handling of the bird flu epidemic. Even though her ability, conviction, and good judgment saved countless lives, Dr. Chan discounted her native smarts—and the opportunity to promote herself—attributing it all to luck.”

If the DG of the WHO thinks her success is attributed to luck, do I even stand a chance??? Of course I do and so do you!

When it comes down to it this complex, or phenomenon is just another way our old behaviors and limiting beliefs hold us back to maintain the status quo in their attempt to protect us from what they consider to be potentially disastrous consequences.

Let me explain. For me this feeling of being a fraud comes from my fear of losing my connection with my Self. When I think of growing professionally and reaching more and more women with my message, I get scared that I won’t be able to maintain the intimacy of working with women in small groups and that I will have to do it the way the big gurus do on stage with hundreds, sometimes even thousands of people in their audience.

Now although I would love to touch that many women and make that kind of difference, at this stage in my game, that is way too big for me and I feel overwhelmed, anxious and scared. So my defense mechanism jumps in and on a subconscious level I self-sabotage in the form of these fraudulent feelings. Make sense? As long as I allow my Self to yield to the inner dialogue telling me I am a fraud, I stay put, stay small and deny my Self another opportunity to fulfill my purpose.

THAT is not who I am and not why I’m here. And it certainly isn’t in alignment with what I teach my clients! So if I’m going to lead by example and expect my clients to play big, than it’s time for a conversation with my Self so I can move through this obstacle.

Your Assignment

Whether you have your own business, you work for someone else or you are still searching for your dream career, playing big and stretching beyond your comfort zone is part of the game.

If you are experiencing feelings of being a fraud or an imposter, you will need to find out where that is coming from and squelch it! So you can move past it, move forward and make the impact you (and I) know you are here to make.

1. Grab Your Journal! By now you know I am a huge fan of journaling. There is no better way to gain access to your Inner Wisdom than to sit down, get quiet and have a conversation with her. So begin by asking, “What am I afraid of?” Another good place to start is “What is the worst thing that could happen?” Keep writing and stay curious. Leave all judgment out the door and trust what is revealed to you.
2. Create Safety ~ Through your journaling you will gain clarity about that fear which is holding you back. In order to move forward, you must create a safe space to take action and move ahead. For me it looked like this: “As long as I stay connected to my Inner Wisdom and maintain a level of intimacy with the women I serve that feels good for us all, everything will be OK and I can continue to grow.”
3. Take Action ~ Now that you have a safe space to grow in, it’s time to take action. Go back to your conversation with your Inner Wisdom and find out what your best next step is to move you closer to your goal. Then take it!
4. Remember Why You Are Here ~ When I think of all the women I have served and all those yet to come, I remember that this is bigger than me. I am a messenger, a servant, a Spiritual reminder. My purpose is to share the wisdom that I have been blessed with so that others may do the same. It’s the proverbial ripple effect.

So who am I, who are YOU, to interrupt that process because of some silly voice in our heads feeding us fruitless excuses why we can’t? No Way! Not on my watch! You are way bigger than that and so am I.

So . . . kick that fraud to the curb and go out there and make your mark on the world!

To read Ali Brown’s article about Success Fraud Complex, click here: http://www.thealimagazine.com/success-fraud-complex

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