hypnoniki

I have a friend who recently quit a well-paying job to start a new business in an industry for which she has little to no experience. When she forwarded me an email from someone in the industry preparing to do something very similar to what she was planning, I got the sense that she was experiencing a case of impostor syndrome. So I shared with her some friendly advice I was taught in hypnotherapy school that made a lot of sense to me when it was put into perspective.

This is the advice I shared with friend; she loved it so much she suggested I share it with others who may be feeling like a fraud in their career or business.

There’s no competition. She’s not you. And there’s no one else quite like you for YOU are the only you. Yes, it may seem like you are in direct competition with others who have the same offerings as you, but here’s the truth: the only person you’re competing with is yourself. Everyone else has their own unique background, motive, perspective, or specialty, so they naturally have their own audience, just like you do from your unique experiences that only you have experienced as you—experiences no one can take away from you.

If two of you offered the same exact thing, I’d pick you because you’re most like me. You’re more relatable. You’re closer to me in age so you’d be more likely to get me than someone significantly older. And you get what impostor syndrome feels like because all the aspiring entrepreneurs you want to work with are no doubt feeling the same exact way, asking themselves: “Who am I to think I can do this when I’ve never done it before?” Overcome this disempowered way of thinking and it will become a fundamental component of the very thing you are creating for others so that you can help them overcome their own limitations.

In my experience of you, you seem to keep revisiting images of past failures that have spilled over into your new business dreams in the form of stress and overwhelm. Consider journaling about the valuable lessons you learned about why that old business didn’t work out for you. Take those learnings and apply that to this new business venture so that you don’t repeat those mistakes. Similarly, journal about what made you successful in the corporate world and apply those principles to your new entrepreneurial endeavors. Using these insights, make it so that failure is no longer an option.

Lastly, ask yourself this: What would have to happen for you not to feel like an impostor or fraud? Don’t have enough experience? Create an action plan that allows you to get the experience you need in one way or another. Don’t believe yourself? Develop of a daily practice that will strengthen your beliefs, such as keeping the agreements you make with yourself and others.

When I first got into coaching, I had zero client experience and felt like an impostor promoting myself as a coach when I had never coached anyone a day in my life. So I strategically offered my coaching program to five people free of charge; by the time I was done, I had over 60 hours of client experience and had successfully taken each individual through my entire program.

When I was in hypnotherapy school, I completed well over 100+ hours of pro-bono hypnotherapy sessions and was among the top in my graduating class to earn a clinical achievement award—the highest honor one can receive from Hypnosis Motivation Institute for exceptional performance during clinical internship and outstanding academic achievement. With nearly 200 collective hours under my belt, I no longer felt inauthentic about calling myself a coach or hypnotherapist. And by now, I’m sure I’m closer to 300 hours of experience (not including my continuing education in this field).

What kind of action plan can you implement to prove to yourself that you are NOT an impostor or fraud? How can you reframe your experiences in such a way that only YOU can reach your target audience? What is one thing you can do to build credibility within yourself so that others will find you credible as well? As you discover those answers for yourself, remember this: You have no competition. There is only one you, and you are the best in the world at being you 🙂

If you like what I wrote or have anything to add, please share in the comments below!

I am so excited to announce that I have recently secured office space in West Los Angeles! You can still see me at the Tarzana office, but now you can also see me at my newest office location in West LA too, if it’s more convenient for you.

Tarzana was a a bit of a stretch for some people, but they made the trek because they each knew that they themselves were worth it. They didn’t make the drive for me, they did it for themselves. Commitment like that should be rewarded, and this is my way of showing all of you just how committed I am to my growing this practice and helping you achieve success on your own terms.

I originally thought phone and Skype sessions would be a welcomed alternative, and remove the issue of location out of the equation, but it seems the in-person sessions are much preferred and people are much more willing to drive to West LA than Tarzana.

What Else Is New?

The cancellation policy for the West LA office is significantly different than the standard 24-hour policy. For all appointments booked at The Gardens building, a 72-hour notice will be required. The cancellation policy for the Tarzana office will remain the same. Your appointment reminders will account for this slight policy change when booking a session in West LA. Basically, my reminder system is set up so that once you get the reminder, you have 24 hours to cancel without penalty.

As far as parking goes, the Tarzana office usually validates parking during the day, and it’s free at night. The West LA office does not validate parking. The parking garage is located to the left of the office building (pictured above) and charges $1.50 for every 30 minutes. The maximum parking rate is $9. Street parking is always an option as well. Weekend parking seems to be free so far. If anything changes, I will definitely let you know before your appointment.

Since the offices at The Gardens Building are shared spaces, very similar to my lease agreement at the Tarzana Town Plaza building, the actual room that sessions will be held in may change from time to time. Eventually, I plan to grow into the space at The Garden Building and eventually have a dedicated office. I generally try to ask for the same room, as some of you may have noticed, but sometimes it doesn’t always work out. Prepare to be flexible, and I’ll be as flexible as I can for you as well. Sometimes that includes house calls. Other times, it includes an after-hours “emergency” phone session.

In light of the increase in office expenses for managing two office locations, I am thinking about raising my session rates. All existing clients will remain at the original rate, but all new clients will be subject to the new rate. For now, the rates will remain the same across the board. Introductory Specials may vary from month to month.

Thank you to all of my clients who have been with me since the very beginning. I can’t thank you enough for believing in me. I am honored to be part of your Dream Team, and delighted to have you all as part of mine. I want you, and all your referrals to know how committed I am to helping you achieve your goals. After all, my motto is, and always has been, Make It Happen.

Let’s make it happen together! You work with the conscious part, I’ll work with the subconscious part and together we’ll have a 100% effective rate.

Self-awareness is a conscious understanding of how one thinks, feels and behaves in relation to any given situation. It’s the practice of being aware of who you are as a person, what your intentions are, where you’re going in life, what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, why you’re doing it and how you feel every step of the way. It’s a learning tool vital to your personal growth and arguably one of the most important skills you will ever learn to master.

Everything you want in life starts and ends with you.

The reason why self-awareness is such an important quality to develop is because it serves as the bedrock of goal setting and creates a solid foundation for developing the life you want for yourself based on the core of who you are as a person. This includes what you believe about yourself and the world around you, your most important values and what you truly need to be happy and fulfilled in any area of your life, whether it be health, finances, career or relationships.

When you have a better understanding of yourself, it’s easier to make the changes you seek from a grounded place. From this place, you can more effectively reflect on what’s working or not working for you, explore alternative options and begin taking action that is more in alignment with who you are and what you stand for as a unique individual making a contribution on this planet.

Being able to look within yourself to hear the wisdom beneath the ego allows you to clarify what it is you really want to live a dream come true life. It can also help you develop more personal integrity when you take the time to really honor yourself and how you feel about a situation so that you can actually do something about.

Without a strong sense of identity or purpose, life becomes meaningless and leaves you feeling empty inside as you go through the motions of life in a zombie-like fashion.

Self-awareness holds the key to unlocking your greatest potential.

The key to change is asking yourself the right questions. Life has an uncanny way of giving you exactly what you ask for. If you keep asking yourself “Why me?” then you may very well find yourself experiencing the same type of situations over and over again. You see, your mind is programmed to give you exactly what it thinks you want. So when you ask yourself disempowering questions like “Why can’t I make more money?” or “Why does this always happen to me?” then the answers will present themselves in a way that continues to disempower you.

However, if you start asking yourself an entirely different set of questions, then your experiences will naturally guide you to solutions you didn’t know were already there and you’ll start stumbling upon resources you didn’t know existed. Your mind starts shifting its focus away from the problem and toward a desirable outcome. When you start asking yourself empowering questions like, “What’s next?” or “How do I want my life to be?” or “What’s one thing I can do differently to get a different result?” then the answers will eventually present themselves in a way that will empower you.

This is where self-awareness comes into play and why it’s so critical to master. If you’re not getting something that you really want, be suspicious of yourself. Chances are high that life is trying to teach you a valuable lesson you have yet to learn, and until you learn that lesson, you will keep getting the same results you don’t want. When you get real and honest with yourself about where you are now and where you want to be, change becomes easier. Why? Because now, you’re no longer turning a blind eye to the limiting beliefs or unhelpful behaviors that were keeping you stuck in the first place. 

How can you become more self-aware?

Self-awareness is often the first step to transforming any area of your life. It’s a personal practice that looks different for everyone.

Some people like to meditate, which helps them develop a deeper sense of awareness by focusing on the inhale and exhale of their breathing. Other people like to journal, which helps them become more aware of their thoughts and feelings as they write them down.

Some people love personality tests and personal assessments, which helps them understand themselves better and how they relate to the people that show up in their everyday lives. Other people value the feedback they get from peers and colleagues, which helps them hone in on their strengths and identify areas for enhancements.

Bottom line: You can’t make changes or improvements when you’re not even sure what needs to change or improve. Luckily, a spoonful of self-awareness can go a long way.