If you’re tired of dealing with the imposter syndrome, you’re in the right place! This series is all about healing it so that you can get on with living your life to the fullest.

If you’re not sure if imposter syndrome is a problem for you, check out the Top 6 signs you suffer from imposter syndrome.

Step 1 & Step 2 of this series help you to understand what’s creating your imposter problems. Step 3 teaches you to dismantle them.

Step 4: Optimize your thoughts

We often don’t think about optimization and thoughts going together.

Many of us expect high performance from our bodies, our computers or our cars, but not from our minds.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary shares this definition of optimize:

“to make as perfect, effective, or functional as possible”

When it comes to the imposter complex, our minds are essentially running in an “inefficient” state. This “inefficiency”, however, has a major impact on your life.

It keeps you playing small. Being quiet. Holding back.

However, just like for your car, you can take actions to optimize your thinking so that you empower yourself.

Your brain is an amazing machine and when you learn how to optimize it, you can make amazing changes in your life.

Let’s get started, shall we?

A daily practice to optimize your thoughts & feel more empowered

In it’s simplest terms, this practice is about deliberately choosing your thoughts…. But there are some key points that you must get right in order for it to work.

Key points for this to work

1. You must be on board with the idea that your life and your self are actually the thoughts you have about those things.

For example, if you think of yourself as not being capable of expressing yourself fully, that will be your truth. If you think that people are suffering and the world is a mess, that will be your truth, too. Every time you make a statement about who you are or how the world is, you are having thoughts about those things and it’s THOSE thoughts that create your world (i.e. your understanding of it).

The thing is, thoughts are just sentences in your mind. This is why two people can have radically different views about the same thing.

One object, two brains = two different versions of reality.

2. You must choose new thoughts that you believe. This isn’t wishful thinking or affirmations, my friends. When you choose a new thought, it will only be effective if you believe it is true now or can be true in the future. You’ll know you believe it because you’ll feel it. Emotionally.

That feeling is a mini-transformation.

Ok, so here’s how you do the daily practice:

1. Preferably, do Step 3: question negative thinking first to clear out the junky thoughts on a piece of paper
2. Then imagine yourself as already being who you want to be (fully optimized!). Ask yourself, “what does this empowered, successful woman believe is true about herself?”. Some potential things she might believe:
   • I’m getting better at sharing my ideas
   • It’s ok for me to make mistakes
   • I live by progress, not perfection
   • I choose this job/relationship/situation
   • I know what to do
   • I have what it takes
3. Choose the most powerful thought from your list (we’ll call this your Empowering Thought) and repeat it to yourself for one minute, either out loud or in your head.
4. Then write it down and look at it as often as possible throughout the day.

By doing this process you will train your brain to think new thoughts. At first, it can feel awkward, like learning to ride a bike. But with practice your Empowering Thought will become more natural, more you.

Repeat this daily to optimize your mind, heal your imposter syndrome and step into your power.

Great things await.

Big love,

Heidi

If you’ve read this far and are hungry for more on how to optimize your mind, watch my Facebook Live called Daily Thought Management: A Process to Align Your Mind.