I have, for most of my life, dealt with Impostor Syndrome.
I am 76 years old. And a part of me still cringes, wondering if I’m good enough. Even though I have worked on that tendency to assume I’m not good enough – for years. Decades.
Right now I am about to launch myself into a project I am not entirely sure I can successfully complete.
But also? I have Dreamt Big Dreams, and launched myself into the unknown, over and over again.
And so far?
Well, I’m still here.
So, Rational Me knows that I probably am ‘good enough’, while Irrational Me is still wrestling with fearing failure.
Mostly Rational Me knows I can do this. Maybe not well. Maybe not to the standard I would have been able to do 2 years and 2+ weeks ago. But one of the reasons I decided to launch myself into the more or less unknown this time is…well, complicated.
I see so many new weavers flailing. They try and try and try and seem to encounter one difficulty after another. And I may have answers for them. But the answers I have are rarely simple, or even straight forward. They are complicated, because weaving is complex and answers get ‘messy’.
However, I wrote the Power Point slides a few years ago, before the brain injury, so I have a template to keep myself on track. And I have 12 times to practice, get comfortable, and continue to wrestle the Impostor Syndrome to the ground.
And, because weaving is complex, even if I don’t perform my ‘best’ I know stuff and am willing to try to explain what I know.
However, my butterflies took off last night and I slept poorly as I fretted about today. So, to add to the general trepidation is a lack of sleep. As I sit here drinking my coffee I am trying my best to get them into formation. But come what may, in about 2.5 hours I begin.
Breathe. Breathe. Do your best.


Comments
4 responses to “Do It Anyway”
I would say “Break a leg” but that somehow seems inappropriate for the situation. So perhaps a simple “Good Luck, and have a good time with it!” will work instead.
Laura, a lot of us suffer from imposter syndrome, but as you say, you are still here and have lots to offer! I am excited to hear you and learn from you! It will be a great day!
I am sorry to have missed your 1st seminar butterflies or not :). I’ll catch up after Oct
1 when i am back from my Nfld trip. After all those years of weaving fine textiles you are not an imposter!
I watched the recording and everything went fine. Thanks for part 1!
I know about the imposter syndrome too. Aren’t we all a bit crazy?