A few days ago, it was recommended to me that I spend some more time on LinkedIn. You know, that social media site for professionals.
It felt wrong. As a professional bowling coach, I’ve put much more emphasis on the “bowling coach” part than the “professional” part.
Other platforms have so many bowlers posting about actual bowling so I never spent much time on LinkedIn other than occasionally updating my job. But things are changing.
You see, in addition to being a professional bowling coach, I’m also a writer.
In fact, one could argue that I’m more of a professional writer than I am a coach. More of my time over the past 8 years has been spent writing articles and books than coaching bowlers.
Am I a coach who can write, or a writer who can coach?
A whole new world
(Are you singing the song?)
So here we are. An identity in flux and a strange new social media platform to explore.
And it feels awful. The newsfeed feels strange. It’s full of unfamiliar names thanks to an algorithm that I don’t know (and doesn’t know me). I’m overwhelmed with a whole lot of professional jargon.
Do I even belong?
A new fantastic point of view
(You’ve gotta be singing the song now, right?)
One of my first posts on LinkedIn was admitting those very doubts. I feel like I don’t belong. But I don’t feel like an impostor.
How is that possible? I’ve got a growth mindset.
Growing in the green
A growth mindset involves acknowledging where you are and the gap to where you want to be. More importantly, having a growth mindset means that you’re confident in your ability to learn and adapt in order to bridge that gap.
Despite the confusion and doubt of the yellow state, you climb into your green state for learning, adapting and conquering this new challenge.
Shrinking in the red
Impostor syndrome often causes people to shrink back to their comfort zone. When faced with the discomfort of a new place, new role or new skill, the impostor goes into the yellow, then the red.
The fear and discomfort take hold, and the person does one of two things:
- Revert back to their more comfortable self almost immediately.
- Perform at a minimum level, waiting to be “found out” as proof they don’t belong. Plagued by self-doubt, they never flourish or grow.
Get in the green
How do you get “in the green” when faced with this sort of challenge?
- Take a look back at all the times you’ve already evolved, grown and learned new things. Take this as proof that you’re capable of it again.
- Take your time. No one masters anything new right away. There’s always an acquisition phase – and it usually takes more time than you think.
- Be patient. This is less about time and more about emotions. Give yourself some grace. You’re allowed to be frustrated or discouraged, and even walk away for a little bit. But then re-focus and keep pushing forward.
- Get support. No one does it alone, so try to find someone who’s been in your shoes and ask for help or guidance. Pay for a professional coach or mentor.
I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to LinkedIn.
But I’ve got a really good idea of what it’s like to help someone through some difficult changes. This is the process I use when coaching others, and it’s now the process I get to use for myself.
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