What if you can Slay your Imposter Monster  

By Lori Hammond

Coach and Professional Hypnotist. Giving you simple tools to stop overwhelm and harness joyful forward momentum.

Watch out, this cheat sheet might just empower you to do that amazing thing you've been putting on hold!

When I woke up Thursday morning I thought it would be a normal day.

 

Thursdays are my favorite days because they’re Zelda days. 

 

Zelda is my 19 month old grandbaby.

 

We started the day at the park where we went up the stairs and down the slides…. 

 

...over and over and over again…

 

... until she got so tired that she didn’t protest when I put her in the stroller to walk home.

 

When we got home I made a big mistake. 

 

I peeked at my website analytics to see where my sales were that day. 

 

My video challenge starts tomorrow and it gives me a little thrill every time I check in and see a few more sales. 

 

So when I looked at the page and saw zero sales for the day I thought, “Something must be wrong.”

 

I brushed it off and started singing “The Wheels on the Bus” with Zelda. 

 

Zelda showed me all the noises the different animals make on the bus. 

• The lions on the bus go ROAR ROAR ROAR
• The monkeys on the bus go HOO HOO HAA HAA

(Can you imagine how stinky that bus is?!)

 

A couple of hours later I checked my sales again.

 

Still zero.

 

Ok, this is NOT right. I wanted to feel that little dopamine-zing when I know people are investing in their freedom.

 

I started racking my brain to think what I had done wrong to cause this. (Not a useful line of questioning.)

 

I remembered a PayPal notice that I needed to fill out a form by Sep 15 and I’d waited till the last minute.  

 

That split second realization sent me into full blown “What if?!!!” mode. 

 

Here’s what it looked like in my thoughts and body throughout the day as I began compulsively checking my sales page for the next few hours... 

 

(Notice if you relate to any of this.)

 

“Lori, everything will work out. You know better than to freak out.” (I took a deep breath and listened to Zelda’s laugh to bring me back to the present.)

 

A few minutes later I think...

 

“PayPal shut down my account! I made a great FB post this morning and I’m sure people are trying to sign up for the video challenge!” (My cheeks flush with embarrassment about all the people I’m letting down.)

 

Zelda falls asleep in my arms… my favorite thing in the world. Instead of noticing her gentle breathing... 

 

I fly into the future and imagine my business shutting down. People get frustrated and leave because my payment portal doesn’t work…

 

I have to go back to cutting hair because I’m now the laughing-stock of the hypnosis community.

 

I think, “It’s too hard to run my own business. Who was I kidding? I’m not cut out for this.”

 

A feeling of desperation creeps into my body. My body is reacting to my daydream of letting hundreds, maybe even thousands of people down...

 

“Wait, I promise I’ll fill my forms out right away from now on!”

 

“What if it takes weeks to get my account turned back on?!”

 

By the end of the day Zelda was giving me sideways glances and wondering what happened to her happy, slide-down-the-slides grandma. 

 

I called PayPal as soon as I got home…

 

... crossing my fingers I didn’t sound like a scared little girl as I said…

 

“I know I screwed up. I’m so sorry. I think you guys have shut down my account and we have to fix this! Please help!”

 

Anthony, the patient PayPal rep, calmly said, “I’m looking at your account and all your forms are updated and correct. I don’t see any restrictions on your account and no payments have come through today.”

 

I switch from panic… to relief… and back to panic in .25 seconds. 

 

Now I have a new reason to freak out.

 

“Oh so you’re telling me that nobody tried to make ANY purchases today?” 

 

Now I’m blushing from the embarrassment that nobody responded to my post about how cool my video challenge is.

 

“Why do I even post on Facebook?!!

 

“People must think I’m ridiculous.”

 

Then a flood of relief washed over me as I realized...

 

“I’m still allowed to accept payments from people! There are people in other parts of the world who don’t have the freedom or ability to create something then sell it. How lucky am I?”

 

Maybe people did think I was ridiculous when I talked about how awesome my video challenge is…

 

But there are also a lot of people who signed up…

 

And I know they're about to change the direction of their business.

 

I realized I’d been torturing myself with “What if” movies in my head all day long. 

 

Nothing had changed in real life.

 

It was all happening inside me. 

 

We all do this sometimes

The number 1 reason I created my podcast, “Silence the Imposter Monster” was to help people understand…

 

We all have an Imposter Monster taunting us. 

 

Saying, “You’re not good enough! You’re not ready! You’re an imposter! You’re a fraud.”

 

I’ve interviewed some of the biggest names in hypnosis and they all tell me that they deal with self doubt. 

 

I say that to liberate you. 

 

You’re not alone. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. 

 

I woke up on Friday, the day after my freak out, and sent out an email letting people know there were only a few days left to sign up...

 

Then I peeked at my sales page to see who had joined the challenge.

 

ZERO!!!

 

I freaked out a little less but I still thought, “Well, I guess this is going to be my smallest turnout so far."

 

Then I realized I never hit “send” on the email. 😂

 

I fixed the problem and within minutes sales began rolling in.

 

I breathed a sigh of relief. 

 

Here’s the thing. 

 

I have no control over the way people respond to the things I share on Facebook…

 

Shoot, I have no control over Facebook even showing people my posts!

 

I have no control over how people respond to my emails…

 

Or the videos I make…

 

Or my podcast episodes. 

 

Some people love what I do. Some people think I’m annoying.

 

There’s only ONE thing I can control. 

 

I can control the way I show up in the world. 

 

I can decide to keep posting on Facebook…

 

And keep making videos…

 

And keep showing people that we all have an imposter monster that makes us feel like crap about ourselves.

 

And guess what? 

 

I HAVEN’T silenced my imposter monster. 

 

That little meany sticks her tongue out and taunts me most every day.

 

But I’ve made friends with her. 

 

She says, “You’re not ready!” 

 

And I say, “Thanks for saying so. I’m gonna do it anyway.”

 

She says, “There are 200 other people teaching this already!”

 

And I say, “Yep, they’re awesome. And I’m allowed to shine too. There are people who will only hear ME say it.” 

 

(Whew, that was a little scary to type but I want to say it because it’s true for you too.)

 

Four years ago I quit my job as a hairstylist to become a hypnotist. 

 

I had JUST finished my training with Mike Mandel. 

 

I was a baby hypnotist trying to figure out how hypnosis actually worked. 

 

I had zero confidence in my ability to help people.

I say this because you might have “I’m not ready” thoughts too.

 

If you do, it means that you’re EXACTLY where you’re supposed to be. 

 

You’re not supposed to feel ready!

 

The only way to feel ready is to do it afraid. 

 

The readiness comes AFTER the action. 

 

What is the thing you’ve been putting off…

 

Until you lose a few pounds….

 

Until you get one more certification…

 

Until you’ve seen a few more clients…

 

Until the stars align in that one specific way…

 

What if those “untils” are just your Imposter Monster making you play small?

 

(I promise that's what's happening.)

 

Your “until” is not the exception. 

 

That thing you’re waiting on does NOT need to happen before you give yourself permission to go for the thing you’ve been putting off. 

 

(Read that last sentence again and know that I’m talking to you.)

 

Ask yourself this question…

 

“What would I go for if I absolutely, positively knew that I would succeed?”

 

Then freaking go for it!

 

Spoiler alert. 

 

There’s no way of knowing if you’ll succeed or fall flat on your face. 

 

That’s part of the adventure!

 

What if life is just a big fat game and you’re allowed to play it with childlike enthusiasm?

 

What if all the scary stuff is just happening in your head? (I promise, it is.)

 

What if you’re worthy of shining?

 

I double dare you to ask yourself that big, bold question up above…

 

Then GO FOR IT!

 

When your imposter monster plays scary movies about you failing, you can smile and say, 

 

“Yep, that’s a possibility. But I’m brave and I’m going to have a blast giving it a try.”

 

You’ll never be more ready than you are right this very minute.

 

Shine on, 

Lori