How many of us have ever felt that we weren’t good enough? That we didn’t deserve success or that we weren’t doing anything worthwhile? Too many people face the Impostor Syndrome and never are able to overcome it. I usually spend days feeling that way, and then I can break out for a quick gasp of air, only to be sucked back in again.
The truth is, I have no idea what I’m doing. My business has gotten results, but more than anything it’s because of the amazing people I work with, and not because of me. I have no clue what exactly I’m going to do in life or where I’m going to end up. I’m not nearly as smart or successful as many of the people I look up to and admire. And that’s ok.
As soon as I made the decision to accept where I’m at in the journey, my life has been so much more peaceful. I made the intentional decision to embrace my reality. I also made the intentional decision to embrace my vision for the future. Now I don’t care about where other people are or what they do as much, because I know that they are on a different level of life.
Not too long ago I would compare every single result I had with someone else who had a better result. What we too often don’t recognize is that there are major differences. An adult is going to be able to jump higher than a child because of the muscle growth and physical skills they obtain. It’s a complete disadvantage for the child, but that’s why children compete against other children, and adults compete against adults. They compete on the same level.
If children compare themselves to adults there would be much hopelessness because it’s a different level. I think that is one of the reasons why high school is such a hard, trying time for people. It’s the awkward stage between childhood and adulthood where we have traits of both but don’t fit into either. In high school not only do we compare ourselves to people on the same level, but we also compare ourselves to people who are multiple stages in front of us.
Sometimes I catch myself focusing on the end results and I don’t realize everything that goes into those results. I don’t realize that we are on different levels right now, and that’s ok. In video games you must pass one level before you can move on. Too often in real life we expect to be able to skip past the hard levels without putting in the hard work.
The quicker we can come to accept and embrace where we are right now and recognize that we aren’t on the same level as those in front of us, the quicker we will get to their level. Those people didn’t skip over where we are. They had to put in the intentional effort and focus. Once we stop comparing ourselves to those who are ahead of us we can use this energy to pass this level much quicker and reach the same level of success we are so envious of.
I need to stop throwing myself pity parties. No more “woe is me” will come from me. When we do that we believe we’re just acknowledging the gap in results. In reality, we’re just widening the gap because while we’re sitting here complaining, the people we look up to are putting in the work to conquer the level they are on and move forward.
We believe that the people in front of us have it all figured out. What we don’t realize is that they’re facing their own insecurities and comparing themselves to the people who are in front of them. The difference between them and us is not in the results, but in them accepting where they are and recognizing that it does no good for them to look ahead and actively compare themselves to those in front of them. They get to work in beating their level.
Mentors are great because they show us where we want to be, but we also need to find people who are where we’re at because they’re more relatable. If you want to get better you need to find people who have done what you want to do, but I also believe you should embark on the journey with others. It makes it much easier to move forward when you know you’re not doing it alone.
I haven’t been writing or posting on Instagram because I have it all figured out and want you to do what I have done. Instead, I write to share where I am in the journey and what feelings I’ve been having, because I know there are many people out there who are on the same level as me and I need all the help I can get to conquer it.
It’s time to start accepting which level we’re on and stop looking at which levels we’re not on. That’s what causes Impostor Syndrome. The quicker we accept our level, the quicker we can level up and join those who we are currently intimidated by. All that takes is intentional acceptance and actions. It’s also time to level up and put the energy we currently spend on comparing ourselves towards taking massive action that helps us conquer our current level.
