All your successes and achievements. You deserve them 100%, not 99%!

Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

Some years ago, I witnessed a designer being told by his boss : “who are you to think that you are Georgio Armani”?   Basically the guy (the boss) was sabotaging his own interest by belittling his own staff and sowing the seeds for more “imposter syndrome” if the designer were to somewhat create something remarkable.

 

I didn’t get it at the time  . How can this guy not see that he was destroying the morale of his own people. But then it clicked. I realised that he was actually simply projecting his own negative inner speech outwards. He was externalising his own “imposter syndrome” by dumping it on his employee.

 

It was then that I learnt about “imposter syndrome” and that there is this story that we all tell ourselves at times, that “we don’t deserve this”. That what we have received or achieved is not something to celebrate or be too proud about, just in case we are found out that “we are a fraud”.

 

I began to realise that the brainwashing we have had as a kid to be “modest”, “humble” is a lot about denying our own infinite potential by denying our ownership of all the uniqueness, successes, growth and awesomeness we should have and to be honest about our worth.

 

Yes, I agree to be humble and modest is a positive quality, only if it’s about not using our competitive strengths to beat others down.

 

But when we are praised or when we are told how great our achievements are, or when we receive a promotion or an award, instead of trying to depreciate ourselves by telling the story that we didn’t do anything to deserve it, that it was the team or the school which should take the credit, we really deny our self worth and an opportunity to amplify further the little thought that we matter.

 

Instead of being humble or modest. How about just be grateful and generous to yourself. Tell yourself you are grateful for everything, and you deserve everything. The good, the beautiful, the amazing. You deserve everything.  

 

I am curious, what would it be like if you fully realise that you have the superpower to make every little moment count, and every fruit that ripens is a result of the seeds you planted. And every good that comes is a result of your previous efforts.

 

You deserve it. It’s important to be generous to others. But it’s even more important to be generous to yourself. The most generous thing is to give yourself permission to accept that you deserve it 100%, not 99%.