Go ahead, put that stake in the ground

Don't let imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs keep you from your dreams.

I spent the last week attending a LinkedIn Lead Gen Masterclass and the equivalent of an entire workday rewriting my LinkedIn profile. The masterclass was aimed at entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, those of us striking it out on our own, often after long-term professional careers.

Yes, I had other things to do, like writing this post and prepping for my first community challenge for this newsletter, but I just couldn’t stop myself. Once I started down the path of rewriting my profile, I had to see it through. 

Part of the reason the work took so long was because I wasn’t just writing words, I was facing my own insecurities. I was battling my inner imposter, who was saying things like, Who are you to do something outside of the ordinary? Who are you to publicly proclaim yourself an expert in anything? 

I have spent over 20 years as a journalist and content marketer, but it wasn’t until this year—just a few months ago—that I felt worthy enough to call myself a writer. Let that sink in for a moment. 

Many of us battle imposter syndrome, especially when we’re venturing into the unknown. It’s much easier when we just quietly put our foot in the water and test it out to see if we like the temperature. The problem with this approach is that the water almost never feels right. By dipping just our toe in, we remain stuck in that place of discomfort and perpetual limbo. We have to take the plunge and bear the initial discomfort until it feels right. 

Now this masterclass was free, and therefore the primary goal of it was to upsell me to the real product. Predictably it gave just enough away to keep me invested but not enough that I feel like I have mastery…and lots to think about. One of the big takeaways was how just how many of us solo business owners are still showing up as employees on LinkedIn. Yes, some of that is because we just don’t know how we’re coming across. And yes, it takes time and thought to craft a solid profile, so many of us put it off. But it’s also because many of us have a hard time believing in our own value, let alone finding words to convey it.

We don’t see ourselves as business owners, and that’s because most of us are still struggling with imposter syndrome. We’re dabbling in new careers and going out on our own, but we’re scared to put our stake in the ground and make the bold proclaim, “Here I am. This is what I’m doing.” 

And there are good reasons for this. We’re terrified of failing. Many of us struggle with feeling good enough. Many of us don’t believe we’re worthy of love and respect.

Despite a career in writing, I didn’t think of myself as a writer until this year. 

It’s not a coincidence that this is the year I was able to step into my destiny and finally see myself as a writer. It’s because this is the year that I began to reclaim my power after a lifetime of not believing in myself or my abilities. And a lot of that reclamation has to do with quitting diets. I know it sounds crazy, but so much of my headspace had been tied up in negative thinking about myself and my own body, and those negative thoughts were like an anchor holding me down. I didn’t think I was good enough because my body didn’t look a certain way, because no matter what I did, how much I exercised or how much I restricted, I still couldn’t achieve the ideal that I had in my head. Maybe for you it has nothing to do with diets or your body size or your appearance, but you’ve let limiting beliefs hold you down just the same.

What are the anchors you need to cut ties to?

I’m not perfect. I’m not where I need to be with my body reclamation and owning my soul’s purpose. I’m not as confident as I want to be and as I know I can be, but I’m a hell of a lot further along than I was before I gave up diets. 

So what does it take to get to that place? 

It’s as simple as just going for it. I wrote last week about the rewards of stepping outside of our comfort zone when it comes to social interaction, but this is about turning inward and deciding to take a leap and see where it leads. It’s about being willing to trust your soul’s purpose and being willing to fail. I spent most of my life believing failure was the worst thing that could happen to me, but I see now that failure is simply a necessary part of the process to get to my divine purpose.

As my friend

Donna McArthur

with the Bright Life puts it, “we are not talking about overhauling your broken self. This is about taking action to move in the direction your soul is suggesting.” 

Put your stake in the ground, my friends. 

Owning My Story on the Joyful + Nourishment Podcast

The second season of

Linn Thorstensson

’s Joyful + Nourishment Podcast is out, and yours truly is a featured guest.

Linn writes, “In this conversation we talk about her experience as a parent to two daughters who developed anorexia at a young age, and how when her 2^nd daughter was in recovery this became a catalyst to look at some of her own long held beliefs and rules about what she “should” eat and how her body “should” look like.”

Come listen and let me and Linn know what you think!

The First Almost Sated Monthly Challenge Is Almost Here!

As I mentioned last week, it’s my dream to build a community of like-minded people who want to stop measuring their self-worth by their appearance, learn to redefine health beyond body size and maybe even quit diets for good. My goal is to continue to provide valuable, useful support and guidance to those of us who have struggled with self-worth and body image issues. To do that, I’ll be introducing paid subscriptions in January and providing a preview of what’s to come. Look for the first monthly community challenge and how you can participate this Thursday! It’s my hope we can create a safe, welcome space to have spirited conversation about the things that matter most to us. 

If you value this work, please consider pledging your support for Almost Sated.