imposter syndrome is a distraction from action

There is a 90% chance that if you asked me how I’m doing over the past year I responded “I’m just vibing, living my life.” I’m now realizing that this was a disguise for my fear of success.

Earlier this month God reminded me of who He is and the promises He has for me. I will be real with you, when planning for 2024 I didn’t put one numerical goal that I wasn’t 90% confident would happen on my vision board. The Sunday after this realization, the pastor ended his sermon with “We serve an Ephesians 3:20 God. Your vision is too low.” Confirmation. I let fear creep so much to the point that I was doubting God.

So I prayed that I actually live what I preach and dream BIG. I redid my goals, added metrics and trusted God. One being that I reach 13k followers on Instagram by the end of 2024. Little did I know what this small act of faith would do. 

A few weeks later I gained over 30,000 followers on Instagram in one week. Yes, you read that right. Over 30,000 in one week. All I could do was cry because excuse me? Remember that I only asked God for 13k total by the end of the year. I share this to prove the goodness of God. To prove what happens when we trust in Him and say not my will, but your will be done. When we ask that He take away every ounce of fear and doubt.

For too long I lived in fear. When opportunities came I procrastinated acting on them like I didn’t pray for them. Thinking to myself, “oh this is too good to be true” or “don’t get your hopes up too much just yet.” When given a large project at work my first thought went to “don’t mess this up” and then I procrastinated until the very last minute. I was so confused why it was so hard for me to do what I needed to do. 

The other day I Googled “scriptures to combat imposter syndrome” and I came across this amazing article. The main point that stuck with me is “Imposter syndrome is a distraction from action.” It’s like everything clicked. The reason I’ve been procrastinating, the reason I low ball my goals is because imposter syndrome is quite literally disabling. It was never about me feeling bad about myself and my skills but imposter syndrome being a distraction from the action I needed to take in my life. 

After this revelation I feel a lot lighter. I feel equipped to begin conquering imposter syndrome. So here’s what I’m doing: 

Looking to God

• When imposter syndrome, doubt, and/or fear creep in I will make it a habit to look to God. When it tries to take a hold of me, I will take hold of it.  

• I’m reminding myself that what I give my energy to is so important. What I focus on will become my truth. 

Letting go of comparison 

• Comparison is the thief of joy. It’s so much easier said than done but everyday I’m reminding myself that God uniquely wrote my story and there isn’t a single one like it! There is so much beauty in that and I will bask in it.

• There’s a quote that says “progress and perfection can’t share the same seat.” Holding myself to a standard of perfect is literally counterproductive. I will always try my best. 

Practicing self-compassion

• This journey will require a lot of positive self talk. I will show myself patience regarding my own perceived flaws. 

I hope this blog was as helpful for you as it was for me!!

I listened to Untitled (God) by SAULT while writing this.