Morning cup of nonsense

I’m forty-ish minutes into my working day, I’m not dressed yet, my curly hair has succumbed to bedhead and needs washed and I’m still wearing my muppets pyjama top. However, my morning cup is filled with caffeine and enough flavour that I can’t taste the coffee, so I decided it was time for a blog! Here we! 

I was reading an email the other day - I always read mailing list/marketing & comms emails as I know a Rachie somewhere has worked on that and that the stats will help whether I’m a converted to end goal reader or not. Anyhusan, it was about how to get buy in from colleagues for your work and to be honest, I don’t think that’s as big a struggle as getting buy in from myself. 

I am forever telling myself not to try things, not to suggest things, not to experience things. And why? Because it might not work? Because someone might think it is or I am rubbish? So what? 

Other people try things and it doesn’t work - generally speaking, no bad thing happens. So what’s stopping me?

That would be me. I stop me. That voice in my head that tells me I can’t. However, my primary school teacher’s voice lives rent free in my head with this saying: 

“If you think you can, you’re right. If you think you can’t you’re right.” 

At the age of ten, I didn’t particularly know what it meant, I just remember she would get us to repeat it. In the last few years, it has properly resonated with me. 

In practice, I’ve noticed I follow that pattern. I think I can’t or shouldn’t, so I don’t. I think I can so I try or do.

I strongly doubt I’m going to post this and go into every day as the little train that could, but I’m going to listen out for that teacher’s voice when I need my own buy in. 

Today’s mugshot

Serving up some Minnie Mouse and unkempt hair realness. 

Read More

Uncertain musings.

Clearly, I’m rubbish at blogging. I haven’t written once since September! I think my problem is I use up my creative streak during the day or can’t be bothered when ideas come to me when I’m lying awake at night. 

I came on to write a post because I watched a webinar today, yes - another one. I know that’s pretty much all I’ve posted on this blog, I do have original thoughts sometimes and I’ll find a groove eventually. I digress. 

The webinar was on uncertainty, how we respond to it and how we can reframe it and convert uncertainty to opportunity. That gave me a wild hair up my butt to write a post, not because I particularly have anything new to add to the conversation but because I was feeling reflective and what do I do when I’m feeling reflective - write it down!

I don’t think anyone particularly likes uncertainty and I’ve certainly never thrived on it, I like knowing the script. However, the last few years have given us zero choice but to exist within it. I don’t even need to elaborate. 

Using my instincts to reframe my thought process is something I really took away from today. Like if I knew no bad thing would happen because I rode the wave of uncertainty - what would I do? What do I know now but probably won’t actually figure out properly for another six months when I’ve made sense of it? I know that sounds a bit airy fairy, but that sort of internal dialogue. 

Radical gratitude is something else I took away, like the things we take for absolute granted but when everything else we know is stripped away, will notice, appreciate and thank god, thank goodness, thank Kylie Minogue (or whoever it is you thank) for? Like a few years ago when bird song was suddenly all I could hear outside. 

There is way more to the webinar than the things I’m pulling out, but these are the things that stuck with me. I’m not really sure where my uncertainty tolerance levels are sitting but probably higher than they would have been a few years ago, because they’ve had to be. 

I’m not entirely sure how I go about turning uncertainty into opportunity but I think its more about finding opportunity or creativity amidst the unfamiliar. 

Anyhusan, that’s my musings for the day. See you when the inspiration next takes me! 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #24-30

 

Okay, so I’m two days premature of the 30 days but I’m away for the next few days and will most likely forget so I’m going to round this off today. 

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been actively trying to challenge my imposter syndrome by making small changes and ignoring the phrase ‘fake it until you make it’ 

Here’s what I have learned and will continue to keep trying:

Repeat it until you believe it

- I’ll keep thinking about what my strengths are and reminding myself of them. 

Learn that you earned it 

- I’ll keep a track of what I am grateful for or what I have achieved 

- I’ll keep reminding myself when I have earned something through hard work or skill - it hasn’t just happened. 

Practice it until you perfect it

- I’ll keep putting opportunities to do better 

- I’ll say yes to more opportunities that are outside my comfort zone, provided I can do them. 

- I’ll remember that I can say no and set boundaries where they are necessary. 

I promise to start blogging about other things soon!

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #8-23

Okay, so this is lazy but I forgot to do the daily blogs but I’ve essentially been doing the same things so I’ve caught up in one post!

Learn that you earned it - I’ve been keeping a note of all the things I’m grateful for or that I have achieved such as good feedback. 

Practice it until you perfect it - I’ve been trying to say yes to opportunities outside of my comfort zone and not let the ‘what if I’m not good enough’ voice in my head get in the way.  I’m also trying to make sure I make at least one comment in every meeting to make sure I contribute and don’t just observe. 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #7

Today I noticed myself allowing imposter syndrome to manifest outside of a work setting. I was having a jokey conversation with my fiancé about selling my baking to make extra money then said I didn’t think my baking was good enough. He said I was undervaluing myself and that he’d paid more for worse than what I had brought him. 

I’m not not genuinely thinking about selling my brownies and the whole conversation was nonsense but it was a little reminder that that little voice that tells me I’m rubbish isn’t just with me when I’m a work, it can pop up whenever it wants. 

To challenge this, I’m going to practice my baking more until I perfect it - plus, it means more cake. Where is the bad?

 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #6

 

Today I found myself actively challenging the voice in my head and overruling it with my resolve to work on myself. 

I was asked to be a ‘critical friend’ on a project my colleagues are working on and offer my thoughts and suggestions. I could tell that the words ‘why would they ask me?’ were on the tip of my mind’s tongue. 

Can a mind have a tongue? It would make sense, seeing as our minds can wander and mull things over - I digress.

I stopped myself in my tracks and immediately flipped it to learning that I earned it. I knew why they asked me and reasoned with myself that my input and insight would be helpful, otherwise they wouldn’t have asked. 

I said yes by asking myself: 

Am I doing it alone? No, other people are involved, I’m just lending a hand by offering thoughts. 

What’s the worst that could happen? They don’t like what I say. That’s unlikely and even if they didn’t, no bad thing is likely to arise from that. 

What’s the best thing that could happen? My contribution helps with their project. 

I feel good about being able to actively challenge my own thought process today. 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #5

 

Something I realised today that I have allowed to feed my imposter syndrome is the fact that I look younger than I am. 

I’m quite lucky in that respect, for the most part, people are kind to me because they see the youthful face and have a comforting tone and a kinder delivery. Sometimes though, it can manifest in someone being patronising or dismissive of ‘the daft wee lassie’

I don’t always carry myself as the 32 year old that I am, which can perhaps come off as inexperience or ineptitude. When I do start to carry myself as a competent and experienced 32 year old, I’ve found people who assume I’m younger can read it as ‘getting above my station’ 

It was a harmless comment from an older colleague talking about old money that sparked the thought process in my head but it has reminded me to address it. It perhaps comes under ‘practice it until your perfect it’ - I can work on carrying myself not so much as a ‘grown up’ but as someone who has the experience and knowledge to contribute confidently. I just have to silence that voice in my head that tells me I shouldn’t - ahhh imposter syndrome, isn’t it fun? 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #4

 

I didn’t particularly do anything over the weekend to merit posting about so I’m not going to hold myself hostage to a rigid 30 calendar days, just as and when I have had a chance to work on things. 

Today’s focus was another ‘Learn that you earned it’ 

I spoke in one of my posts a few days ago about receiving praise for a piece of work and not being massively comfortable taking it.  At an all staff meeting today, the same piece of work was highlighted and I received another compliment on it. Again, I didn’t really no how to take it, so I just smiled. I knew that it was a case of learning that I earned it and that I need to work on learning to appreciate the moments when nice things like that happen as a result of earning the moment. 

In the interest of ‘practice it until you perfect it’ - I actively made myself make a few comments in other meetings. In meetings, I tend to assume to role of silent observer because I have this idea in my head that if I speak, people will realise I don’t belong there - which is silly. So today I made myself actively speak a bit more. 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #3

 

So, I forgot to do yesterday’s post but to be honest it was another day of ‘Learn that you earned it’ 

I spent a small portion of the day verbalising achievements of the week with the fiancé, not in a bragging sort of way, just in a reflection sort of way. 

It wasn’t a conscious choice to tick off an exercise, it just happened to be part of the conversation. 

Not sure what progress I’ll make over the weekend. 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #2

 

Today’s progress on overcoming imposter syndrome is very much a focus on ‘Learn that you earned it’ 

Does anyone else feel super uncomfortable when someone says something nice about them or praises their work?

I’m pretty sure that won’t just be me. 

I got praise on a piece of work and instead of doing my usual uncomfortable screwed up face, I said thank you and reminded myself I’d put effort in and it was a good thing that the effort was acknowledged and to be grateful that the end result was well received.  

I also acknowledged that I had support from my boss to achieve it and that with her continued encouragement, belief in my abilities and guidance, I can tackle new tasks. 

Read More

Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #1

I attended a webinar yesterday by The Marketing Meet-up on imposter syndrome. I think we all experience it to some extent and I know it’s something that has held me back in work and social situations.

I often attend such webinars, take notes and think about all the great ways I’m going to change my life. I then, of course, don’t bother my shirt and continue to be a creature of habit. 

What I really loved about Sahana’s session was that she introduced workable exercises and a 30 day challenge to practice giving them a go. This really struck a chord with me so I thought I’d give it a go. 

Sahana’s session offered three alternatives to ‘Fake it until you make it’ 

These were: 

• Repeat it until you believe it
• Learn that you earned it
• Practice it until you perfect it

It would be impractical to do every exercise every day so Sahana recommended focussing on three that are do-able and work on those. 

Today I’ve chosen to focus on:

• Finding my edge - what is my unique thing that makes me great? While working on something I watched on another webinar that spoke about finding your unique ability, I asked a few friends what they thought mine was. The answer that came back was my ability to see the positive, not in a toxic positivity kind of way but in a ‘stepping back, observing, and picking out the positives’ kind of way. 
• Learn that you earned it: writing down achievements, recognising the role others play in helping you achieve them and making a note of what your are grateful for. I’ve had a journal app on my phone for about a year that I rarely use that asks you what you are grateful for and what your highlights have been each day. I made a point of filling this in. 
• Saying yes to opportunities by asking myself, am I doing this alone? What is the worst thing that could happen? What is the best thing that could happen? I’ve actively said yes a few times since watching the webinar yesterday by either saying yes to something outside of my comfort zone or offering to do something outside of my comfort zone. 

Read More