Today,
We will explore one of the most common experiences I have seen among the entrepreneurs I have worked with,
Imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is that feeling of inadequacy despite having successes that prove against it.
We experience chronic self-doubt and a sense of not being intelligent enough,
Which overrides our successes or any proof of competence and capacity.
It feels as if we can't internalize our accomplishments,
Because they aren't perfect enough or because we attribute them to luck and not to our talents or efforts.
With imposter syndrome also comes a lot of inner stress and fear of failure.
We think we cannot make mistakes because then we would be discovered and seen as the imposters we are.
There is a part of us that feels like a fake,
Since we think we do not deserve success and that those who believe in us have been deceived and will eventually find out that we are not capable and do not have what it takes.
The good news is that through consciousness we can awaken to a greater reality than the one our image of self allows us to perceive.
If we take time and allow it to emerge,
There is something inside of us that knows we are more than our current identity.
We are more than our beliefs,
More than our current limitations,
More than our fear and self-doubt.
We can learn to change our habitual reaction to events and experience new possibilities.
As Viktor Frankl says,
Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
So when that stimulus comes,
That feeling of not being good enough,
Ready enough,
The idea of imposter syndrome,
We can pause and create space before responding,
Before believing it as true.
In that gap we can choose to connect to our living energy,
To connect to something deeper and truer in us that knows we are enough.
We can learn to embrace our value and worth and allow ourselves to feel it,
Give it life and force so it can express itself fully.
In that different response lies our growth and freedom,
Our connection to who we truly are.
Let's experience that possibility within us through a short guided meditation.
You can sit down or lie down,
Whichever feels best for you.
If you are sitting have your back straight,
Feet on the floor,
Hands resting on your lap,
Shoulders relaxed,
Chest open.
Open yourself to this experience.
Close your eyes and let's begin with three deep breaths.
Inhale through your nose very slowly,
Feel how it feels when oxygen enters your body.
Hold it for a brief moment and exhale through your mouth and let everything go.
Let go of all the external noise,
Of things you have to do,
Of thoughts about things that have happened to you.
Let go of stress and worries of today and of the week.
Let's breathe deeply and as we exhale let it go.
Inhale again deeply and slowly,
Feel the breath as it enters your nostrils,
Goes through your throat,
Your lungs,
Let it fill up your lungs,
Hold it for a brief moment and then exhale slowly,
Letting everything go.
Let go of any particular thought or idea that you are holding on to.
Visualize how you put it aside now and you leave it there to return to it if you want to when we finish.
Take one more deep breath,
Inhale through your nose,
Feel how your chest rises as oxygen fills you up and as you exhale feel how your chest goes down.
Allow your body to relax,
Allow the thoughts to move slowly,
Your breath as well.
Let us set an intention for this meditation,
We are going to experience a connection to something deeper and truer inside us that knows we are enough.
We are going to open up and experience that place of infinite value and strength that is always inside us.
Let's embrace it,
Allow ourselves to be with it and give it life and force so it can shine.
Now place your attention in your body,
You are going to feel your body,
Look at it without judgment from head to toe,
Experience how your body is right now.
Your head,
Your eyes,
Your nose,
Your jaw,
Your neck,
Feel a sense of well being thanks to this attention that you are giving yourself,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Your arms,
Your hands,
Your legs,
Your knees,
Your feet,
Your toes.
Feel yourself like a glass filling up with water,
Feel your body filling up with relaxation.
If there is a place of your body where you feel tension,
Send your breath there,
Tension is stagnant energy that needs to move.
Visualize how your deep breath enters and creates space for those emotions and energy to move and find its way.
Breathe,
If a thought comes remember look at it,
Name it and return to your breath,
To this moment,
To my voice.
Now you are going to visualize yourself walking in nature,
You are walking among trees,
You feel the wind in your skin,
Smell of nature around you,
Look at the sky,
The colors around you,
Feel the warmth of the sun in your skin,
Listen to the sounds of water,
Birds,
Wind.
You look around you and you see a path that calls your attention,
You want to follow it.
You are walking in this beautiful trail at the end of the way you find a mirror,
It is a large mirror,
A beautiful mirror that you feel attracted to.
You choose to look at yourself in the mirror and at first you see your regular self but when you look deeper with attention,
Calm and acceptance and openness you realize that you see something deeper,
You see your soul,
Something deeper inside you beyond what others think,
Beyond material things,
The roles you take in your life,
Beyond what you do,
Say or own,
You see light,
A light that shines more and more as you place close attention to it,
You see your power of creation,
Your inner strength,
Give yourself permission to connect with what you see,
Have the intention to live this moment as it is,
Feel that you are where you need to be and release effort or the need to be somewhere else,
Feel comfort,
The sensation of trusting,
Of letting go and at the same time feel vibrant energy,
Infinite energy in you,
With calm connect to this light in you and begin to feel your intuition and your inner voice emerging,
Relax and listen to this inspiration that comes from deep within you,
It is not a big aha moment,
Just little drops,
Little ideas,
Like a puzzle,
You don't know what it is yet but the pieces appear and come together,
Listen if it has anything to say to you now,
Allow the space to listen,
Calmly,
Soft without pressing,
Just accepting the moment as is and feel in you how you are the true creator of your path,
Feel peace,
Strength and connection to something in you with infinite and full of possibilities and remember this space is always inside you,
A space of value,
Worth,
Power,
Unconditional strength,
It lives in you and you can return to it whenever you need to,
Thank yourself for taking this time and giving yourself this space,
Let's go back to your breathing,
Take deep breaths,
Feel your body inhaling and exhaling,
Hear the sounds around you,
Feel your body where you are sitting or lying,
The sensations in your body,
The temperature of the room,
Return to where you are and when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Let me realise this this now,
Allow me to open my eyes and feel this all,
This is your you
