Simon* is a business advisor and consultant who was suffering from self-doubt, self-criticism and over-thinking. His imposter syndrome behaviours included procrastination, comparing and holding himself back. Simon had delayed applying for director-level positions over the previous three years. Not only was he frustrated by his self-doubt, he wanted to understand why. He was also keen […]
Is there a difference between delivering great work and peak performance? Athletes talk about the peak performance ‘flow’ state, a sense of effortless excellence and a calm thrill. Does that translate into the business world? My recent experience writing my second book sheds light on how peak performance really feels. The first book Last year
Do you beat yourself up when you’ve made a mistake? Do you worry about it or lose sleep over it? If you do, you’re certainly not alone. It’s so common for people to agonise over the mistakes that they’ve made that it seems normal. That it’s just what we all do. But this self-beating is
“To do two things at once is to do neither” Publilius Syrus (85-42 BC) When you ‘pay’ attention, you make a choice to focus on something specific. In that moment, this becomes the centre of your attention. The price that you ‘pay’ for that attention is that everything else around you loses focus. For example,
Confidence Or Self-Worth? Confidence is a great feeling – you feel capable, strong and ready. We can boost our confidence in many ways; putting on a stylish, well-fitting suit, wearing a gorgeous watch or pair of shoes, getting a new qualification, hearing a compliment, etc. However, splashing water on your trousers or ketchup on your
Do you want things to be flawless? Or maybe a better question is; how much do you need things to be flawless? Perfectionists often say that they just have high standards, and they want things to go well. It sounds very reasonable, after all, who doesn’t want to do well? However the difference between high
We put off doing things until the last minute for many different reasons. You might get frustrated with yourself for procrastinating, but ultimately there’s a payoff for doing so. You wouldn’t do it otherwise. In the case of Imposter Syndrome – the secret feeling of being a fraud and the fear of being
