Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - How to Defeat Imposter Syndrome

Episode Date: April 20, 2020

In this episode I discuss: The push/pull relationship between being your own biggest critic and your own biggest fan What it means to suffer from imposter syndrome The thoughts of inadequacy and self-doubt felt by Maya Angelou, Albert Einstein, and some of history's greatest minds The importance of re-wiring your thoughts to see yourself as incredible 

Welcome to Your World Within Daily. I'm Eddie Panero. Today we're going to talk about self-judgment and why it's good to be our biggest critics, but it's essential to be our own biggest fan. So where do we draw that line between being your own biggest critic and being your own biggest fan?

Because they're both completely necessary, essential. I talk a lot about the first part. You know, being self-critical, being self-aware, understanding how what you're doing is aligning with where you want to be. And that's simply because without that awareness, there's no ability to adjust. You know, this community, for the most part, it's self-driven, self-motivated people, and we want better. Not because we think less of ourselves, but because it's fun. You know, progress is happiness. It's the game. It's the journey. But I don't want to talk about that today. I want to talk about the other side, the part that we sometimes leave out and we neglect. And the repercussions for that are huge. And that's being your own biggest fan, recognizing your accomplishments.

And I like to talk about my personal experience from time to time to show you that, you know, I live it. You know, I learn from it. I research it. And it's cyclical. It's not like I'm sure. shouting out at the world this philosophy. Like, it really helps me. And when I find myself in trouble, right, because the, I guess the crux of entrepreneurship is kind of an unknown. It's moving forward towards this vision without really being sure. You know, you have an idea, and little by little, you bring it to life. And what that does is it creates a North Star. It creates a goal. And you feel like you're moving towards it little by little, but it can become discouraging. And my worst moments are when I forget to turn around, look back, and see how far I've come. Right? You get so focused on where you're going that you forget how much you've accomplished

and conquered and gone through to get here. The only way to carry on through life's trials and tribulations is to identify yourself as someone who's capable of carrying on through life's trials and tribulations. And that means looking back, taking the time to appreciate what you've done. It's a really, it's a, it's a push-pull type thing. Yeah, be self-critical. That's the only way to keep going. But you got to, you got to feel good about who you are and what you've done. Those two work in tandem. There's some of that. There's some of the same thing. There's something called the imposter syndrome. It's a phenomenon or a psychological pattern where we doubt our accomplishments

and have this fear of being exposed as not good enough. And I see it everywhere. It comes through everywhere. From kids trying to make a basketball team in junior high to executive level folks that just constantly feel inadequate. And it's like, at what point are you going to feel good enough? there's no tangible marker that you go through and you think, okay, I've got it. I'm good now.

You know, it's a mental shift. You have to change the way you look at things because you are good enough. You are adding value. But you have to see that before you can fully become that. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. The world mirrors how you see yourself. So it's an important thing. And it emphasizes the importance of cutting out the,

It was just luck or anyone could have done what I just did. It wasn't that special, right? You need to invert those. You need to turn around and appreciate everything that you've done because it's a lot. And to emphasize the point, I did kind of a basic search, right, to see what would come up. And right away, I mean, some of the greatest minds in history have quotes about this feeling of inadequacy, of the inability to appreciate what they've done and see themselves as great. You know, Maya Angelou, one of the best poets and authors in history, that's irrefutable. You know, she says, I've written 11 books, but each time I think, uh-oh, they're going to find me out now.

I've run a game on everybody, and they're going to find me out. That's Maya Angelou. Albert Einstein, I guess he did an important thing or two in history. He says, the exaggerated esteem in which my life work is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler. And he uses humor sometimes to get his points across. But I mean, if people we esteem the way we do feel like that, then there's something to it. And recognition is the most important step, Aristotle, knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

You don't feel inadequate because you are. You feel inadequate because it's a basic human condition to do so. And that's fine, but let's rewire some stuff. Let's look at things a little bit differently. Let's appreciate how far we've come and how much value we've added. Let's know our potential. Right? Because look, everyone feels that way at some point.

Some people do something about it. And I know there's some danger to making the complex that's simple, but in a way, I think it is. if how you see yourself is how you see the world, then we better find a way to see ourselves as something pretty incredible because it's the truth and it is the beginning of everything good to come. Hey, if you guys enjoy this podcast, if it helps, if it adds value, I'd greatly appreciate rating and reviewing helps me get this out to more folks, which is obviously something I'm very passionate about and looking to do.

more and more and more. So thank you for that. Hope everyone has an amazing day. And remember, your reality is a direct reflection of the way you see yourself. So let's cut the false narratives of inadequacy and not being good enough. That's a story that you've written. It's time to write a different script. You add value and you will continue to add value. Let's go out today and continue to do just that.