Today I want to chat about mindset. As a coach of endurance athletes, I spend a tremendous amount of time on mindset with my student-athletes. It is usually the area that is holding someone back from being the best they can be, it is no different with adults. While we may not be trying to break 16 minutes in a 5k or 4:20 in a mile, I would guess that for most of us, "stinkin' thinkin'" is holding us back from living in the fullness of what God has for us. Imposter Syndrome is high on the list of negative thought processes or limiting beliefs that attach to most of us.
So how do we come against Imposter Syndrome when it is so well seated? Or maybe it is not imposter syndrome but just a broken record playing in your mind that you are not good enough. Has anyone else heard this song? I know many artists struggle in these areas. As always God has an answer. Romans 12:2 tells us, "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will."
I want to focus on renewing of the mind.
I believe that God's word is truth and it is powerful. If the promises in His Word that I am clinging to have not come to pass in my life, it is not a problem with God's word. My perception is the problem or my broken issues are the problem. So how do we work through inner healing to live in the world as God promised? One gift that God blessed us with is neuroplasticity, a phenomenon that describes the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout a person's life. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways and connections in response to experiences, learning, and environmental stimuli.
So what does this have to do with Imposter Syndrome? Recognizing that we can create new neural pathways gives us a method to overcome negative thinking that is holding us back. Recognize that I am NOT a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. But try this.
Changing imposter syndrome, here is how. You have to interrupt the pathway; when you think, "I am not a real artist because (insert your reason)", you capture that thought and then you say, "but what if I am?" Or, when you think, "I am a failure", say, "but what if I am not?" Simply by using "what if" your brain starts to develop new pathways. Where your thoughts go, your brain will build. When you use, "what if," that interrupts the super highway, the neuropathway that is established and begins to create a new one. To further cement the direction of the new pathway, celebrate that you caught the negative thought and corrected it. The brain likes celebration. This is not a one-time thing, it takes work and, like many things, the key is consistency.
Mindset is a really important part of our journey as Kingdom artists. God has made provision for all of us to be healthy and happy. Life can be difficult for us at times and different seasons bring different challenges. I am grateful I have the privilege to communicate with a living God. His desire is for us all to live in His joy, happiness, and comfort. Overcoming the lie of Imposter Syndrome is a great start to moving forward on the path he destined for each of us.
The image in this post is a painting of a sandhill crane called, "Ostrich-Shout out to Rene". It is a 16x20 Mixed Media consisting of chalk paint, pan pastel, molten beeswax, damar crystals, and paper on a birch-cradled panel. $699. This is one of the paintings in the Mystical Moments series. This image was named Ostrich as a shout out to Rene Margritte and his "Treachery of Images Painting". Margritte's painting is also known as "This Is Not a Pipe" and "The Wind and the Song". When I asked students for suggested names for this painting, one of them said Ostrich as a joke. As a thank-you for a nice teachable moment, I honored the name. While it is not exactly the message that Margritte was trying to send, it is similar. Rene's point was this is not a pipe but rather painting of a pipe. Rene Margritte was a surrealist, creating a type of art where artists understand emotion and ideas without being complicated by trying to link the image to what your mind already knows.
Have a great week! Blessings!
TO
ALL ABOUT HOPE
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