Eternal student syndrome: When learning becomes an excuse not to take action
A few days ago a reality exploded in my face, I was about to enroll in my fifteenth coaching course that was offering me the promised land: a successful practice, clients queuing to hire my services, money in spades … It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Talking to my friend and coach Ken Altenbach, he asked me when are you going to consider yourself ready? He killed me with that question because I’d already known the answer: Never, I’ll never feel ready. That’s the so called “impostor syndrome” that many coaches have, that inner voice that arises from our deepest insecurities asking: Who do you think you are to help anyone in this? You are not an authority in this field, you have to continue training. And suddenly you are looking for more courses on the subject.
And there I had my great revelation, a moment of lucidity that I decided not to let go of, just in case insecurity invaded me again: I made a public commitment, I wrote my first post on Facebook committing myself to share knowledge instead of continuing to accumulate it, I committed myself not just to receive, but to give to others, who knows what person might be inspired to take their nose out of books and share their unique voice with the world?
