Dare to Compete

Don’t believe everything you think! Imposter syndrome may not be obvious in other people, but it’s there. And understanding that can empower you to embrace challnge you might otherwise avoid.

I like many other people have struggled at times with imposter syndrome and feeling overwhelmed by challenges that scare me. People are often surprised by that when I tell them but that’s a fact and for all of us it all boils down to the same thing – mindset – and that famous Henry Ford quote ‘Whether you think you can or think you can’t you’re right.’

Simply put what you believe about yourself impacts your success or failure.

So a couple of weeks ago when Women in Business NI asked me would I be available to MC their International Voices of Leadership event at Queen’s University Belfast, featuring among others former Irish president Mary McAleese, UK barrister and writer Cherie Blair, US politician Secretary Hillary Clinton and her Chief of Staff Huma Abedin  –  even though inside the imposter syndrome went into overdrive screaming danger – I responded YES absolutely.

You see that imposter syndrome was almost like a personal guard dog felt the fear but I thankfully chose fight over flight.

And I am so pleased that I did. It was an absolute honour and a brilliant experience and there were so many takeaways for all of us listening to these inspirational women at the top of their leadership game as they shared their experiences of both career and personal highs and lows

Did you know Hillary Clinton hadn’t even considered running for political office until her early fifties when someone challenged her to practice what she was preaching to other women – Put yourself forward, find your voice – Dare to Compete. She said she was scared – was she good enough? We’ve often heard the expression fake it til you make it and for Secretary Clinton her secret was to act like a leader – if you don’t act like a leader no one will see you as one. A second nugget of advice was to learn to take criticism seriously but not personally. Two great pieces of advice – I love that first one.

We think, we feel, we behave – so if we think we are a leader, we feel like a leader and we behave like one – the way we walk, talk, even enter a room –  try it out – it really works.

If you’d like to dare yourself to compete – challenge yourself to think, feel and behave in a different way and  identify and step away from unhelpful thinking styles and behaviours  – then sign up to my next Reflect and Reboot one day course with Women in Business in Belfast on the 24^th of May.

We’d love to see you.