Have you ever held yourself back from something because you just didn’t think you were “ready yet?”

• Held yourself back from a promotion?
• Knocked your pricing down a little bit because you were worried about what other people think?
• Waited to make a purchase?
• Bit your tongue instead of spoke your true feelings aloud?
• Held off until “Monday,” “next week,” or “next month” to begin a new habit?

Ladies, we often are our own worst enemies in holding ourselves back due to imposter syndrome. We feel like we don’t have enough education, experience, or preparation, for the next step we’re considering and therefore we don’t make a move…at all.

Imposter syndrome isn’t a new concept, and it affects a majority of women in their personal and professional lives. It keeps us small, it has us feeling stuck, and it’s time to say, “that’s enough of that shit.”

The antidote to imposter syndrome? Cultivating our self-belief as individuals, moms, wives, aunties, friends, teammates, and business owners.

Self-belief doesn’t just come from the ground, though. It involves taking messy action so we learn to trust ourselves. Trusting ourselves over time so that we become confident in our abilities, and turning that confidence into an innate belief of who we are and what we are capable of. 

In today’s episode of The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth, I share some surprising facts about imposter syndrome, actions to take as we begin to flex our trust and confidence muscles, and ultimately how to believe that we have what it takes to be our best selves in 2024.

---

Actions Steps for Stepping into Trust, Confidence, and Self-Belief in Yourself

While I wish I could take credit for the following action steps, they are attributed to my friends at The Restoration Project and the article The 4 P’s of Imposter Syndrome and How They Impact Women by Lis Cashin. PS: you can catch a past episode with these amazing women here.

1. Journal on the following questions:
   1. What do I like about myself?
   2. What do I know about myself?
   3. What seems to come more naturally to me than to others?
   4. What positive feedback am I consistently given that rings true to me?
   5. Where do I feel most confident in my ability to contribute?
   6. What am I best at?
   7. What drains my energy?
   8. What is difficult for me?
   9. What are my weaknesses?
2. Network with people who you identify with the future you and where you’re growing into. Find membership groups, peer groups, mentors, community groups, who you can relate with and learn from.
3. Embrace imperfection! Give yourself permission to act when you only feel about 60% ready (don’t wait to feel 100% there!) and the grace to know that you WILL make mistakes, and you WILL learn from them to make improvements and get better.
4. Set realistic goals! Hot take: instead of a crazy huge, ambitious, hard to reach goal, knock it down a peg so it is attainable! Then you can celebrate your success, build momentum, and use it to motivate yourself going forward.

---

Helpful Links to Develop Self-Belief:

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson
• You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
• Cultivating Confidence download by Coach Kiah
• Podcast: Self-Confidence is Bullshit by Coach Kiah
• Article: Imposter Syndrome Predominantly Affects Women – Here’s How we can Overcome It by Cheri Beranek
• Article: The 4 P’s of Imposter Syndrome and How They Impact Women by Lis Cashin
• Enhancing Our Confidence by Lindsay Leahy

---

Get in the MKM Book Club

In February, MKM is hosting our second month of the MKM Book Club for entrepreneurs and small business owners who desire community and personal/professional development each month. Our first selection is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson.

Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—”not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault.” Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.

To join the MKM Book Club visit mkm.myflodesk.com/mkmfebruarybookclub