Be honest with me: How many times have you questioned your ability to perform said topic? You’ve got the credentials, completed trainings, and you’ve put in endless hours to perfect your craft, yet you still feel like a fraud (sigh). Enter imposter syndrome. While you’ve likely heard of this cunning evildoer (and maybe even experienced it), it’s not all bad. Hear me out.

Imposter syndrome is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success.” That means it shows up as self-doubt, berating your success or performance, sabotaging your momentum, and ultimately fearing your ability to live out your goals/expectations, explains Verywell Mind.

While imposter syndrome can be applied across genders, race, social status, skill level, and so on, it didn’t always start there. This term actually originated as a phrase to describe high-achieving (you guessed it) women. And as a high-achieving woman who coaches other high performers on how to embrace their inner goddess power and travel the world — this term hits hard. But it’s also your golden compass, so take heart.

Remember that this concept is labeled as a condition or experience that’s often tied to achievements and intelligence — it’s not a clinical mental illness. Since conditions are defined as states of being and experiences are often ruled by our perspectives, we have the power to change and train them. Similar to designing your dream trip to Barcelona with ample amounts of paella for dinner, you too can face and forge your ideal condition when it comes to feeling like a fraud in (insert your topic here).

After all, I doubt you feel like a phony when cooking your favorite meal (or maybe you do, and that’s OK). Rather, you only experience those feelings when something is really really really important to you. Maybe it’s landing that dream client, or scaling your business to six, seven, or even eight figures. The point is, those “you’re not good enough” feelings only pop up when we’re moving in the direction we feel called into. It’s like an internal thermometer that signals to stop, even though we’re fully capable of moving forward. So, how do you move forward?

Now that you know it’s a sign you’re moving in the right direction, it’s time to honor and release those feelings. But first, you need to update your thermostat. Similar to a thermostat for a heater or air conditioner, your internal thermostat should be set as high as possible. Caution, you won’t overheat or freeze, only potentially feel more freedom, ease and flow in your business and life. Therefore, set it to 100.

While you’re setting your thermostat, playback your accomplishments, wins and talents, and speak those positive affirmations and intentions. Let them all sink in (or float up). What you’re doing here is training your reticular activating system (a bundle of nerves in the the brain which regulates focus, arousal and motivation) to look for those highlights instead of focusing on the lowlights and what’s lacking. Take small steps as you practice this and refuse to let these big feelings steal your momentum.

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” — Marie Curie.

Which brings me to the next culprit — confidence. Somehow, it’s an unspoken rule that confidence is given to people at birth. Let’s debunk this. According to top performance coach Brendon Buchard, a lack of confidence means you need more competence. It’s a loop. When those phony feelings pop up, it may be a sign you need to up your competence level in some aspect of your business. Enter high performance and wellness coaching.

Maybe that’s understanding how to set up a better email funnel, or maybe it’s getting better at public speaking so you can show up with more ease during your next client call. It might look like gaining clarity on where you are in your business and acknowledging your dedication. The point is to notice when those feelings arise. Then, focus building competence in the areas that trigger imposter syndrome. I’ve found once you do it’s your one-way golden ticket to bigger confidence, which means more freedom both in business and at home.