When you’re about to attend an important meeting with a client, and the Partner you are supposed to go with stands you up, this should not freak you out.
As a lawyer there are certain things you can expect to happen in the lifetime of your career:
- You’ll be left alone on a deal.
- You’ll be called to a meeting without warning.
- You’ll be given responsibility that feels way above your level.
- You’ll be asked questions you don’t know how to answer.
As a lawyer with Imposter Syndrome, these are exactly the types of events that will cause you to question your right to be here and stress out about being exposed.
Events like these WILL ALWAYS trigger your Imposter Syndrome.
But they SHOULD NEVER freak you out.
Normally, your first response to a situation like this is to panic. You feel stressed and anxious. Your brain gives you a hundred reasons why this is all wrong…
You’re not good enough…
Not experienced enough…
Not knowledgeable enough…
Articulate enough…
And a hundred more reasons to resent the person or the firm that is expecting so much of you.
But nothing has gone wrong.
It’s just your Imposter Syndrome.
If you suffer from Imposter Syndrome, you should be expecting this. You should know exactly what triggers your Imposter Syndrome so that it never takes you by surprise or leaves you spinning in fear and at a loss for how to cope. You should know your Imposter Syndrome triggers.
Knowing your Imposter Syndrome triggers is how you succeed in the real world of law where sometimes Partners abandon their associates, and you’re encouraged to bite off more than you feel you can chew. Where you’re expected to network and build relationships with people you feel you have nothing in common with. Where the feedback you receive is more negative than positive, not because you’re not good, but because it never occurs to the person you work for to tell you that you’re doing a good job.
You expect the knot of anxiety in the pit of your stomach. You anticipate the wave of panic and your brain’s first response to the threat of being exposed. So when all of this happens, you can recognise it and gain authority over it.
Of course I feel like this.
This is just my Imposter Syndrome.
Nothing has gone wrong.
P.S. In Imposter Speech Coaching one of the first things you’ll learn is Imposter Syndrome Mapping, a unique strategy for creating a real world road map that you’ll follow to achieve your goal. I teach you the 9 different Imposter Syndrome triggers you can expect to encounter along the way. You learn how to anticipate, recognise and gain authority over your triggers so that, instead of trying to avoid them, you learn how to use them. Enrolment in the July 2022 class is coming soon. You can add yourself to the Waitlist for more information.
