How to replace self-doubt with swagger

ATLANTA - Many people have wanted a promotion or to start a business, but it can be sabotaged by negative beliefs. How can we overcome that? A best-selling author says by finding your swagger. 

Leslie Ehm's, "Swagger: Unleash Everything You Are and Become Everything You Want" coaches clients on how to get rid of that imposter syndrome and turn it into swagger.

"We tell people to ‘fake it ’til they make it’, but when they start going into that trying to fake confidence thing it only triggers this imposter syndrome because they’re waiting for people to find them out as incompetent."

You’ve been tapped for a job, or to lead a group, but yet you second-guess yourself. Why? The swagger coach says that when we step outside of our comfort zone, our brains try to protect us from failure by pulling us back to our safe space.

Leslie Ehm says break the pattern. Prepare for the worse-case scenario by letting your brain go where it wants.

"Then say, ‘At what point did this cease to be realistic?’ Then you can pull back the narrative to the point that you can go, ‘Actually, the worse thing that can happen is maybe I’ll get a side-eye or something. Or maybe someone will say, ‘How long have you been doing this?’ That’s the worse thing that can happen. So if we can contextualize that fear, our brains will stand down."

Break the pattern by imagining the worst-case scenario then having a plan for it. This keeps you from scrambling in a presentation or going blank.

Ask for help from peers and mentors. She says to grow, you have to ask for help. If you’re faking it ’til you make it, you don’t ask for help. Instead: Feel it ’til you find it.

Tap into your super powers, your strengths, but recognize your weaknesses. Bring others in on the team who can fill that spot. Swagger is self acceptance, not self-assurance.

The conversation and the book go much deeper. You can find more conversation about this on her website and her Facebook page.