Episode one Imposter Syndrome

In this first episode of the Wait What? podcast, the host Mai discusses imposter syndrome. She shares her personal experience of feeling like she doesn't belong in a job and doubting her abilities. Mai emphasizes the importance of recognizing imposter syndrome and normalizing it. She advises listeners to focus on their strengths and celebrate their victories, no matter how small. Mai encourages everyone to kick imposter syndrome to the curb and embrace their own greatness. Hey beautiful souls, wonderful people. Welcome to the first episode of the Wait What? podcast. I'm your favorite girl, Mai. And today we're diving into a topic that's like that sneaky guess at the bottom of our minds. You know, it's called imposter syndrome. Yep. That feeling that whispers, do I really belong here? Do I belong here? Like, am I good enough? Will I ever be good enough? Yes, we are going to discuss it. First off, let's get real about what imposter syndrome looks like. Have you ever like, aced a project and you thought like, they are going to find out that me and my friend do? Like, how did we just find out that me and my friend did? Well, that's the imposter syndrome I'm talking about. I mean, like, I've got my own stories of questioning whether, am I for real? Am I the real deal? Or am I faking it? You know that fake it till you make it kind of feeling like, ah, they'll catch me, they'll just know that I'm here. Or more anything. You know, I once got a call from somebody for a social media management job. I was referred to by a former client. I was referred to him. Oh boy. I was thrilled eh. I was super excited, like I was happy, jumping, I was thanking God and all of that. So when now the whole talk, after the phone call, everything, the person was like, okay, let's see what we can do, blah, blah, blah. I said my, I said my piece, you know. All that, and the person was like, okay, I'll reach, okay, I'll get back to you. And now this client was going to pay me, like, was going to pay me even more than my former client did, right? After everything, when the excitement died down, I started thinking to myself, I was like, ah, see this person, like, see other, see, I was going to other pages that related to what this person does. I'm like, ah, see now, see what this other social media managers are doing on this page. I cannot do it. Can I do it? Thank God. They'll say me I'm copying. They'll say me I'm this. They'll say me I'm that. Oh my, they'll just find out that me, I'm so lazy. They'll just find out that me, I cannot do anything. I don't know anything. I don't even know what I'm doing. And at the time, I did not have, like, a certificate. So I was like, ah, they'll just know. And this job is not like, it's just like a one-time thing, no? Just for the meantime, for me to just do it for the meantime, just a one-time thing. And then I was like, ah, I just kept doubting myself over and over and over. Like, ah, see, the way I was doubting myself, even me, I was, like, I was worried. So I spent, like, how many days convincing myself that, oh my, this person will just realize that I was the wrong person for the job. Maybe I shouldn't take it. Let me tell you something. That is a classic imposter move. Like, classic imposter move right there. But you know what? It's time for us to shine light on this shadowy doubt, you know? And what do we say to imposter syndrome? Not today. Well, I'm a G.O.T. fan. I say I'm watching the series again. I know, like, it's been how many years? Like, girl, get over it. But nope. I think I'm in season one right now, episode seven. I'm watching it slowly because I'm still pleased that it killed Netflix. But you know what? Let's not get into it. Let's not get into it. So today we are breaking down what imposter syndrome is and more importantly, how to deal with it. First off, let us normalize imposter syndrome. Like, let us, the first step to dealing with it is normalizing imposter syndrome. Call it by its government. Call it by its name. You know, we all feel it at some point. Whether you are a pro, whether you are an Agba, whatever you do. Or maybe you are a novice, a rookie, you are just starting. We all feel it. But the key to it is recognizing it. Recognizing it for what it is. It is just a thought. It may be a fact and a thought it may be. So let's normalize it. Like, yes, when imposter syndrome comes, like, come, no problem. I mean, if it doesn't come, then I don't know if that's a problem or what. I mean, if imposter syndrome comes, okay, fine, I'm good. Come, no problem. You are just a thought and you are not a fact. And that's it. So fear not, my darling, fear not. We are not just here, or I'm not just here to talk about the problem. But we are also talking about solutions. Like I said, the first step is to normalize imposter syndrome. And hey, if you are listening and you are thinking, wait, what? That's new. Know that you are not alone. And you are way more badass than you give yourself credit for. So recognize imposter syndrome when it whispers. You know, we all have those moments. The key is to acknowledging the doubt and not letting it drive. It is not the driver. It is not the navigator. It is not the narrator. Ah, see, I did your plan, so let's go ahead. Navigator, driver, creator. Wait, what am I saying? Okay, so now let's dive into tackling the imposter syndrome head on. So let's picture this, right? You are prepared for this project or task, you are gassed up, you know, this big presentation, this seminar, or like whatever it is, whatever the task or, you know, job that you have at hand, and you know that, see, in your heart of hearts, you know that you are the best person for this job, like you are going to deliver because you submitted it. Imposter syndrome starts with mental chatter. It whispers. What if they don't like it? What if they discover that you are not the one that did it? What if they see the AI you used? They should say, my darling, flip the script. Flip the damn script. Yes. See, I had to go and learn how to say this thing, flip the script. Anyways, but the truth is, see, flip the script. Yes, they should think I used AI. Yes, they should say somebody helped me. Yes, they should not like the idea. Accept it. See, you know what, instead of dwelling on what could go wrong, or what would they say, or they'll discover that you are AI, or they'll discover that you don't know what you are doing. You see this word, I'm actually repeating it. These were things that were said to me. Not that said to me, like I told myself. And actually, like, before I told myself, it was said to me. Yes, they were said to me because at that point, I didn't actually know much about social media management. So I was just trying my best to like put, I was just putting my best foot forward. And I got this kind of feedback. And so like my imposter, the imposter syndrome just ran with it. So anytime I have like a task or a job, those words keep repeating and telling me that I will never be good enough. Like it is not for me, I should just go and look for something else. But anyways, I'm still in it and I'm still learning and learning. I'm still trying my best. Anyways, that's what I was saying. So instead of dwelling on all those wrong things, all the what ifs, all the maybes, just focus on what makes you unique. Focus on your strengths. See, the truth is, get to know yourself. You know your strengths, you know what you can do and what you cannot do. You know that, okay, I am good at this thing. And this is what I can do. Like dwell on it. Dwell on it. Like, just, just focus on that thing that makes you uniquely awesome. You know, and remember the victories, like whether it's big or small, no matter how big the thing is, or no matter how small, use it to fill your confidence. And that is also our second point. Speaking of celebrating wins and victories, the second point is to celebrate your wins, no matter how small. Even if you finish one small task, or you finish something, you know sometimes when you finish like a task or you finish a job or whatever it is, like when you finish it, and then you have this thought of, I should have done more. My darling, you are guilty as charged. Yes, you should have done more, but you did your best right now. And that is all that matters. Let that define your success. See, every time you complete a task, every time you complete a job, every time you deliver something, like something was given to you to do, and you deliver it on time and on point, you give it your best foot, that is a victory. And you need to celebrate yourself because you are way better than, you are way better and you are awesome than give yourself credit for. So let's sum it up. When that imposter syndrome starts its mental chatter and its whispering, recognize it for what it is. Yes, you are just a thought and you are not a fact. Secondly, flip the damn script on it. Yes, flip it. Tell it yes, they should say whatever they want to say, but you see me, I am a bad ass, I don't care, and I'm going to put my best foot forward, exactly. And then you celebrate the win. When you are done, you celebrate it. Like me, I always buy myself food, or if the money comes after the job, I'll get myself a product. I do that, but once in a while, at least I get myself a product. But I always get myself food, I always buy food, you know, maybe I'll get something from somewhere to just eat. But let me tell you guys the truth, I always, always celebrate this. I always celebrate this. I always thank God. You see me, I'll just start praying immediately. I'm thanking God and I'm praising God, like, thank you for helping me finish this. I mean, like, despite all the doubts and all the chatter in my head, I still did it. So, let's knock, this one, is that we're not, we're not going to conk. If we conk, I want to blow it. We're going to give it big, big blows like this. Give me post-op syndrome. Heavy, heavy blows. Because you, my friend, you are a boss. You are the narrator, you are the narrative, you are the navigator. Oh my God. See, at this point, I think I should get a rap name, you know, and give myself a rap name because I just need a rap. I just need a joke line. So, let's kick this imposter syndrome. Kick it, beat it black and blue, and throw it out of the window. It doesn't even deserve to go. Because, I mean, you are awesome. You own your greatness. So, guys, we've come to the end of this episode. This is the Wait What Podcast. I mean, if you guys like this and you have stories you would like to share or something like you just want to talk about, please, you can follow me on all socials. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter at SheisNotSoFancy or you can send me an email at DeborahMai21 at gmail.com. Or you can slide into my DMs and, you know, just tell me what you liked about the episode and what else we can also talk about. And if you have things that you would like to share, like I said earlier, don't worry, we can all talk about it in the DMs. So, this is the Wait What Podcast where we unmask the doubt and embrace our bad-ass selves. Okay, guys, I'll see you guys in my next video. Bye for now. No, I can't look back.