Do you feel like an imposter?

Do you ever get an intense gut feeling that people can see through your very core and are judging you like it’s 1692 and you’re on the stand during the Salem Witch Trials? Well, I do and it can be such an icky and vulnerable feeling… if I let it. However! In the past couple of years (since becoming a mom actually), I have intentionally worked on flipping the script in my head from one where I convince myself people are judging me negatively, to one that unveils and supports my positive characteristics.

Now, have I done all on my own? Hell no. It’s taken equal parts self-work, family support (shout out to my amazing husband Mason), weekly therapy with my girl Maggie, and finding the right medications — thank God for science.

I feel like so many times people, artists especially, are too far away from their own genius to really understand their uniqueness. Never in a million years would I ever say some of the things I tell myself to a fellow artist, friend or even complete stranger, so WHY do I think it’s okay to talk to myself this way? It’s not. We gotta be kinder to ourselves! While yes, you should treat others the way you would want to be treated, but you should also treat yourself the way you would treat others.

It doesn’t make you stupid or less than or an imposter because you aren’t where you want to be, or where you pictured yourself to have been by this point. Instead of focusing on how far you still have to go or how off-in-the-distance your goals might feel, reflect on how far you have grown already. The fact that you are putting in the work to move yourself forward is something to be so proud of! The only person you feel like an imposter to is the version of yourself you have created in your head. And guess what, nobody else can read your mind!

So keep on doing your thing — keep learning, growing and reminding yourself that no matter what you think others are thinking of you… they’re not. AND keep showing up through it all, even before things are polished, perfect or complete. Because that’s what people truly want to see. The authentic version of yourself. You can’t be an imposter if you’re just being yourself. :)