Do you ever struggle with feeling like you're an imposter?
When you're feeling like an imposter,
Like you're not quite enough or that you don't belong,
The world around you can start to feel really hard or heavy and you might want to try to push harder to prove that you are capable to convince yourself and others that you deserve to be where you are.
But what if the answers that you're seeking aren't in the doing?
What if they lie in the stopping or just pausing for a brief moment?
Let's see if we can practice together.
Now take a slow deep breath in and then gently release it.
We're going to imagine that your mind is like a lake.
When you're caught in the rush of trying to prove something,
Trying to be something or someone you're not,
It's kind of like the lake is being stirred.
The water becomes murky and cloudy and full of ripples and in those moments it's really hard to see clearly.
It's hard to see the bottom of the lake.
But for now let's just give the water a chance to settle.
We don't need to fix anything,
Force anything or figure anything out.
We just need to breathe.
Breathe in and breathe out.
And let go of any thoughts telling you that you're not enough.
Let go of the voice inside that says I don't belong or I'm not as good as everyone else.
Think of those voices like the ripples on the surface of the lake.
They're temporary.
They're not truly who you are.
They will go away.
The lake always settles down.
It never stays the same.
With each breath see the water begin to calm and the ripples fade and as the water settles you can start to see the bottom of the lake again.
It's much more clear.
The truth beneath all the layers of doubt and fear are that you really are enough.
And just like the lake you don't need to prove anything by stirring the waters up.
You are simply you and that's enough.
When the thoughts of I'm not good enough come back,
Don't fight them.
Just notice them as you would notice the ripples on the surface of the lake.
They don't define you.
The clarity that you seek doesn't come from more effort.
It comes from letting go of the need to prove.
It comes from just accepting that you are already worthy just as you are.
So for now simply be.
Let your mind settle like the lake and trust that the clarity will come when you allow space for it.
Breathe in and breathe out.
And know that you can always find this stillness.
