Author Tina K Davis
Welcome to The Art of Attention, where we focus on what matters most in your business with your host, Tina K Davis, a multi-business owner who knows the struggle of ADHD firsthand.
Navigate the maze of distractions with real tips, real talk, and real success.
Ready to dive in? Let's get to work!
1. Introduction
For my 47th birthday I'm breaking up with my imposter syndrome.
2. Outline
3. Continuing the Journey
Facebook Group: Women Entrepreneurs Ditching Distraction
Email - clientcare@tkdbrandmindset.com
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4. FREE Download
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Welcome to the art of attention,
where we focus on what matters most
2
:in your business with your host, Tina
Kay Davis, a multi business owner who
3
:knows the struggle of ADHD firsthand.
4
:Navigate the maze of distractions with
real tips, real talk, and real success.
5
:Ready to dive in?
6
:Let's get to work.
7
:Microphone (Yeti Stereo Microphone):
Today is my 47th birthday.
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:And I am breaking up with
my imposter syndrome.
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:My name is Tina Davis and my
birthday resolution is to break
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:up with my imposter voice.
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:And finally get to work without fear.
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:This breakup might not be forever because
my imposter has been with me my entire
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:life, but she and I, we need to take
a break and really get things done.
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:I've had a podcast for awhile.
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:If you've listened before.
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:Welcome back.
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:I have taken quite a bit of time
off because I really wasn't feeling
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:that I was being true to myself.
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:Every thing I have put out there
in the past, whether it be on
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:video podcast or even just a lot
of the coaching that I've done.
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:Has been for someone else, someone
else's journey, someone else's vision.
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:And I don't mean like an
alternate personality.
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:I'm talking literally for someone else.
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:It was someone else's platform.
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:even though it was my message
and my video, it was air to
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:somewhere else or used in someone
else's course, things like that.
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:And I really couldn't be my
true self because it was there.
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:Platform.
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:Right.
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:So this is the first time that I'm
really going to just come at this as me.
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:I've had a lot going on in
the last six months to a year.
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:when I first started my video
and audio journey, I was
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:working full-time in corporate.
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:I had that coveted, you know, Job
that had really, really great income.
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:I was able to do a lot of
things outside of work.
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:I run a wildlife sanctuary.
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:I'm a wildlife rehabber, there's nothing
to do with what I did in corporate.
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:But because of that corporate
income, I was able to do that.
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:But at the end of a 2023, That corporate
life at 17 years of corporate life,
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:just at that company, not my total.
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:I'm a lot older than that.
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:it came to a crashing halt and
I basically lost my identity.
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:A couple months after that.
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:I went down the divorce path.
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:And so in the last few months I have
been on my own, trying to start.
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:back up again in my own business, I'll
get into all that at another time,
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:but there's been a lot of things going
on and part of getting back into my
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:own business, my personal business.
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:was a lot of fear and a
lot of imposter syndrome.
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:And so she's been really, really hard
to deal with this imposter voice.
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:And it's pushed me back on
my timeline quite a bit.
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:The purpose of this
episode is really for me.
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:And the significance of it being recorded
today is that this is a new, a new
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:year for me because it's my birthday.
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:I can't do things where I started on the
first of the month or the first of the
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:year, because that's too overwhelming.
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:I feel like there's no real significance
because it's everyone else's journey too.
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:But for a birthday, this
is really just your own.
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:It's a good kicking off point.
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:That's my personal opinion.
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:Don't come from me.
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:I just really need something for my.
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:My ADHD brain to grasp onto.
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:And my birthday is my starting point.
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:And that's what I can accept right now.
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:And I need something.
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:I do want to re-introduce who I
am, because I don't think anyone
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:really, truly knows, because like I
said, I have been gone for a while.
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:Also.
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:I wasn't being myself.
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:I was close, but I wasn't my true self.
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:So my entire life I've always
believed that I was supposed
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:to run my own business.
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:I have no idea what that
business was going to be.
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:I still don't really know
what I was shooting for.
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:I just knew that I was going to be.
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:The one in charge.
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:I was going to do the thing.
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:I went down.
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:A long path of, selling myself short.
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:And believing in myself because there
had been people in my life, both of
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:which were the two main characters
were teachers that derailed me a little
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:bit by just one thing that they said.
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:And basically that was, well,
you're not going to be more than a
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:secretary and although there's nothing
wrong with being a secretary or
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:administrative assistant or an admin.
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:That's not what my journey was.
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:And all the kids around me were saying
they wanted to be this and that.
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:And they were praised for it,
but it kept coming back in
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:the second and seventh grade.
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:So two completely different
schools where the feeling was.
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:By people around me that I wasn't going
to be much, and this is my educators
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:telling me, so I had to believe it right.
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:It wasn't until my mid forties that I
actually found out that I have ADHD.
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:I spent 16 years being treated for and
diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.
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:And nothing working well,
I bet it wouldn't work.
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:It was the wrong damn thing.
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:And so I struggled a lot as
an adult because I didn't
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:know what was wrong with me.
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:I just knew in my head.
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:That I had to work extra hard
to prove that I was valuable.
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:And yet the extra hard was hard to
do because I couldn't stay focused.
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:Now, when I get in the zone, when I get
into beast mode or whatever you want to
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:call it, like, deep work, focused work,
whatever it is when I get, when I tap into
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:that, it's over like, look out, I'm not
going to come up for air until I'm done.
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:And that could be hours.
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:Days I will work until
the project is perfect.
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:And it's going to be good.
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:That's exactly how my brain functions.
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:With ADHD came a lot of things, a lot of
symptoms that I really didn't understand.
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:So I struggled with why
those were blocking me now.
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:I don't believe for one second, that
imposter syndrome is isolated to ADHD.
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:And I really do not believe that
the majority of the world has ADHD.
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:Like it would like you would think,
I've done a lot of reading and research
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:because I wanted to understand myself and.
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:You know, less than 2% of people.
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:Truly have the type of ADHD I have.
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:But if you're in a room.
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:Full of people.
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:If you have a hundred people in a room.
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:Less than 6% are actually going
to have the mental illness.
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:ADHD.
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:But over half 60% usually are going
to raise their hand and say, yep.
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:I'm ADHD because they're
distracted or they can't focus.
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:Since that's the, that's
the world we live in.
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:There are things that came along with
ADHD that y'all, I don't even not explain
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:that the fact that my skin can't touch the
counter, or my desk, There's just little
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:nuances that are just ridiculous that I
had to understand and learn to live with.
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:And I should have known that
having to, cut out every tag
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:and wrap my bra strap in tissue.
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:So I couldn't feel the class
ever since I was a little bitty.
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:There was something more to that.
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:And I just didn't know it.
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:Nobody knew it.
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:It was a seventies and eighties.
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:Okay.
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:My ADHD.
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:Is not going to become who I am and
that's not going to be my whole story.
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:And that's definitely not going to be
my whole podcast or my whole journey.
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:But because of my inability
to stay focused when I am.
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:not quite in that zone.
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:I had to figure that part out
and I had to nail it down.
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:because it was pushing me back
on the timeline every time.
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:I tried to nail it down.
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:I got scared away from it.
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:Like we don't need to look into this.
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:Just stay the course, do
what everyone else does.
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:Go back to corporate.
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:You know, what it turned out to be is
my imposter syndrome, my imposter voice,
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:who I called Dallas and her nagging,
little sidekick who I call chains.
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:I'll explain both of them later.
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:They were, who were running me off of
trying to get to the end of my journey.
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:And so this challenge is this new
month for me, this birthday resolution.
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:It's to sit Dallas and chains down
and just put them in a corner.
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:Like you're on a shelf,
you're in a corner.
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:You're in a box you're
taking the month off.
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:Okay.
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:Because I'm going to do this next month.
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:Without you and see what happens because
I've never known the outcome without
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:those two idiots in my ear, in my head.
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:And by the way, I know full well that that
is just my internal voice, but she's got
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:a name and her, so does her little friend.
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:By the way I'm dying
over here, I'm choking.
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:So I'm going to edit this out.
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:So this journey that I'm on is to
truly see what life would be like as
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:an entrepreneur and just a 47 year old
woman, without these voices in my head.
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:So we're going to do this together, or.
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:I'm going to put this out there
in the universe as a way of,
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:accountability for myself.
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:But we can do this together.
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:If you want to follow
along with the journey.
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:Where this whole podcast originated from
was me trying to get the message out
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:there to women entrepreneurs who were
struggling to stay focused because I
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:can tap into things to help me focus.
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:I can do the things that helped me
stay organized and prioritize my day.
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:I know how to do all those things.
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:But what I was missing is.
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:How do I continue to do all those things?
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:But also stay ahead of my
imposter syndrome the entire time.
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:So I'm still going to stay
true to what my story is.
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:And that is how to stay focused, how
to get things done, because I know how
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:to do those things, but now we're going
to do them without those stupid voices.
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:The struggles that I have gone through,
not including the being laid off after
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:17 years or the breakup after 19 years,
we're not talking about that kind of
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:stuff as being my personal struggles.
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:Those are just additional things that
happened at the end of the last year.
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:That really kind of derailed my progress
and helped Dallas and chains, my imposter
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:voice kind of, speak a little louder.
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:See, most of the time I'm able to
get things done because my will, my
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:desire to be, to prove my value, right.
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:To be valuable.
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:Is a little bit stronger
than her voice, right?
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:But lately in the last few
months, her voice has just
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:been a little more audible and.
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:I need to do something about that big
before it becomes a true lifelong pattern.
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:I'm not putting up with her, right.
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:I cannot re go backwards in life.
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:I have this opportunity
to make it for myself.
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:And she's not getting in the way.
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:And so my experience, my personal
experience is going to be, you
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:know, what has been holding
me back in my business life.
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:And how to deal with it.
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:And that is Dallas and
I are going toe to toe.
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:To me, Dallas is the imposter voice.
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:That is the one that's telling me.
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:I'm not educated enough.
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:I'm not smart enough.
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:I'm not good enough.
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:I'm not pretty enough.
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:I'm not all the enough's.
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:What are people going to think?
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:What are we able to say?
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:Chains is that voice?
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:That keeps me distracted.
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:She's the voice that keeps me
scrolling that dooms scroll to prevent
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:me from getting the thing done.
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:Basically Dallas has
already talked me out of it.
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:So change is in there to make
sure that I listened to Dallas.
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:And so the breakup decision that I've
made has to be for the both of them.
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:I have to break up with both the
imposter syndrome voice and the black
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:hole of distraction at the same time.
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:I still get things done, but I'd
like to know what it feels like to
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:believe that I deserve the outcome.
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:Right.
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:I'm good at getting things done.
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:I can get anything done,
but can I truly believe.
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:And an, except that I am worthy of
the outcome, we're going to find out.
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:My personal goals are to make sure that
Dallas and chains don't creep over.
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:And come back into my life
during this challenge.
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:In the times where I'm not working,
because if she can step foot in that
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:space, it trails over into the other.
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:Because a lot of times, especially
when you're working for yourself,
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:There's no definitive line, right?
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:You don't get to clock out,
leave the office, change clothes.
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:When you get home, when
you know you're home.
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:that was a lot of struggle with
working from home the whole time
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:is that you're always at home.
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:So when is it working?
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:When is it not.
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:But Dallas and chance cannot
come over into my personal space.
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:I am going to continue on my
public declaration because
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:this is my accountability.
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:So as part of my goals, I will continue
to make sure that I put myself out
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:there with my progress in this journey.
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:I have no idea what it looks like to
truly believe I deserve the outcome.
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:So we'll all see what it looks
like in the end together.
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:That is my public declaration.
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:Now my business goals, I do
have multiple businesses.
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:So it is not just this podcast
or just my mentor, a membership.
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:Or the coaching that I do.
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:Or the coffee company that I have, or
the, Boutique that I just launched.
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:It is all the things, right.
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:The business is what does say businesses.
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:our, my business goal, I've got
to participate, show up and do the
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:things and all of the businesses
throughout the entire month or
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:throughout the entire challenge.
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:Without letting those
voices get in the way.
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:I've always, like I said, been able to
get things done, but now we're going to
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:get things done without listening to that
fear voice, which means that I'm going
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:to be doing things that I haven't done.
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:Because I'm not going to let fear stop me.
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:that's the goal anyway.
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:That's what I'm working on.
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:My action plan is going
to be pretty fluid.
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:I like to have cards.
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:I like to have things posted, you
know, but I'm going to allow myself
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:to change and adapt as I go, but I
have outlined what I need to get done.
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:And that is the basics are
I need to show up on video.
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:I need to get my content out there.
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:And this is across all the businesses.
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:So it's not just this one.
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:It is to get products
out when they're due.
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:And the due dates are
for me, it's one a week.
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:Right?
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:That's my outline.
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:I don't know that that's
good for everyone.
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:So don't make a plan for yourself based
off of what other people are doing.
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:I can't drop a product for
every company every day.
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:Now for the boutique new things drop
every day for the coffee company.
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:Well, we don't have new
coffee dropping all the time.
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:That's not really possible,
but you know, decorative bags
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:or new Mertz that's possible.
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:It's just not going to be
on a daily or weekly basis.
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:products for the mentorship.
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:I'd like to be able to do at least one
new product every, every couple of weeks.
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:and for coaching, I'm really going
to do just one, Key product maybe
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:a month, maybe every two months.
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:So my products, my action plan is
around products showing up, Going live.
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:I have an outline of the
things that I need to do, and
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:I'm going to stick to that.
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:And I'm not trying to publish
all that for you guys here
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:that I don't want to bore you.
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:I'm probably rambling too much as
it is, but I do have an outline for
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:myself and I did outline it for each
business and I have personal things
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:that are mixed in there too, because
this developing that I'm trying to do is
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:for both my personal and business life.
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:What I will say as a tip for everyone.
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:Is that imposter syndrome is overwhelming.
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:But it is all in your head.
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:I know that's bullshit that
you don't want to hear.
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:But to me, when I define imposter
syndrome, I know you're supposed
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:to say all the things like while
it's this voice in your head that
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:tells you you're not good enough.
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:You're not smart enough.
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:You're not qualified enough.
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:People are going to
judge you all the things.
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:But in reality, when you look at
the definition, Imposter means.
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:Fake someone that's not
supposed to be there.
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:It's.
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:It's it's made up.
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:And syndrome.
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:Is an illness and symptoms
and things that are going on.
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:And in reality, that is a fake illness.
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:Now there is a deeper definition.
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:I am sure.
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:But to me, this is saying
that this bullshit in my head.
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:Is made up by me for the purpose
of distracting and scaring me.
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:No one else is doing this.
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:And if I really stop and use logic, I
don't care what other people truly think.
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:what's happening is that my brain
puts more emphasis on how I believe
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:I care what other people think,
because it's not really true.
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:Not if not in logic logical terms.
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:I don't really.
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:Base a lot of things around what
other people think and feel.
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:Okay.
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:One tip I'm going to offer to anyone
listening is that because imposter
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:syndrome is so overwhelming, you
really have to stop and, and.
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:Identify what your imposter
is keeping you from.
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:I know what mine is keeping me from,
and that is putting myself out there
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:for fear of rejection, failure,
all the things, the normal things.
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:But in reality, for me, Imposter syndrome.
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:Isn't real.
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:I know this.
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:I can shake hands with her and say,
Dallas, you're not even a thing.
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:You're a voice in my head.
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:And you're my voice in my head.
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:But I don't work in
reality most of the time.
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:And I don't think
everybody else does either.
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:We work in what our
environment puts us in.
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:We work in what our brain and
our thoughts are putting us in.
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:And that is fear we're
in fear all the time.
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:That's what imposter syndrome is.
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:it's a way to scare ourselves.
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:It is overwhelming.
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:You have to really identify what
your imposter is trying to keep you
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:from, and then use time management
techniques and self-care routines and
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:mindfulness practices to keep that voice.
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:In check you've got to find out what
the voice is trying to keep you from.
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:find out what your voice
is trying to keep you from.
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:And then find a way to make sure that you
have managed your time and your self-care
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:whether it's meditating or visualization,
whatever your mindfulness practices around
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:what you're really trying to accomplish.
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:you've got to put whatever you're
trying to accomplish back into
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:play in order to beat that voice.
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:I want to stress to everybody that this
is a community and I am big on support.
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:So if you want to share your goals
and your progress, That's perfect.
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:I would love to hear it.
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:I'm going to share mine.
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:this can be a two-way street.
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:I'm very open to hearing what
you guys are doing as well.
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:I do want to make sure that this is
beneficial to somebody else out there.
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:So if you are going through this
with me, please let me know.
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:I'm not really sure what type of heartfelt
motivational message I'm supposed to give
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:here, but I want you to know that we can
all break up with our imposter syndrome.
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:This fake voice in our head is not
going to keep us from all of our goals.
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:We are going to always have that voice.
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:I'm not saying it'll go away
and I'm not even pretending
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:like Dallas is going to go away.
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:But it is possible.
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:I know it is because I have shut
her down before I never had a
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:problem with her in corporate.
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:I never had a problem with
her in the animal sanctuary.
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:I only have a problem with
her when it's about me, when
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:it's my own personal journey.
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:So I know that it's possible to
sit those impostor voices down
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:and move forward through our fear.
377
:My call to action to you is to do
at least one thing a day that sits
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:your imposter syndrome in a corner.
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:We all have an imposter
voice that we're human.
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:And we all can work through our
imposter voice, but some of us
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:struggle with it more than others.
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:And I'm inviting all of you
as your call to action to just
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:sit there, imposter voice down.
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:For little things here and there until
it becomes possible to do it, like in
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:a challenge, like what I'm doing here.
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:That is my challenge to you.
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:So, let me know if you have a
name for your imposter, for what
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:your imposter keeps you from.
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:If you don't already have a
name, let me tell you what it
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:really helps to give it one.
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:I'm not sure what the next episode is
going to look like, but I do want to put
392
:it out there into the universe that I will
have one and I will have one after that.
393
:And this journey is going to
be well-documented because
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:this is my birthday resolution.
395
:I want to thank everyone that listened in
for joining me and supporting my journey.
396
:I hope to hear about
your journeys as well.
397
:There's a lot of ways to get ahold
of me or follow me through social
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:media email, things like that.
399
:Those will be down in whatever show
notes or details are available.
400
:Wherever I park this sucker.
401
:I do want to say that
all of this is possible.
402
:We can all work through our fear.
403
:I don't know what my journey is going
to look like, but I know that I'm
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:going to go through this journey with.
405
:My eyes wide open and
my imposter in a corner.
406
:I'll wave at her every once in a while,
but I'm not going to miss her or.
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:Whatsoever.
408
:So from one.
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:Woman entrepreneur to another.
410
:We got this, we can all just put
that voice aside and get to work.
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:Everything out there that
we want to do is possible.
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:We just have this fearful
voice that is our own voice.
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:Keeping us from taking the baby
steps that help us get it done.
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:But you know what?
415
:we'll all make it through in the end.
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:So let's just do this together and
get through our imposter voice and
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:see what happens when we can truly
accept that we deserve the outcome.
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:Until next time, let's just get to work.
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:Thank you so much for
listening to today's episode.
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:Remember, you are not
defined by distraction.
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:Apply something you've learned today
in your own business and share it with
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:all your easily distracted friends.