On Saturday I attended a Women Leaders gathering in London. There were four different sessions, each informative and inspiring in their own way, with plenty of time to chat and network with other women at the event. The opening and closing sessions of the day actually provided a very interesting balance to one another. The opening session was a panel discussion on ‘Imposter Syndrome’. As one panellist described it ‘comparing your insides with other people’s outsides’ – those situations in life where we feel we don’t really belong and at some point, we will be found out and excluded, humiliated etc. Here’s an example from my own life. As some of you know, I lack confidence in my academic abilities and I am very grateful to Prof. Helen Berry for really encouraging me and coaching me to do further studies. I found my first couple of terms at Durham University really tough and sometimes intimidating (my insides), being surrounded by bright, young, articulate students who (on the outside) seemed so confident in their capabilities and knowing way more than me. In my second term, I had a meeting with one of the professors whose module I was studying. I sat in his office, in the Department of Theology and Religion and calmly explained to him that I wasn’t really a Durham student. Yup, I was an IMPOSTER – didn’t really belong. The panellists at the gathering talked about how we can get over these feelings by focussing on the facts of the situation and also not letting negative voices that we hear outside ourselves become our own critical voice inside, telling ourselves we are not good enough.
The last session of the day was led by a photographer called Jendella Hallam Benson. She shared how she had been inspired to start a photography project focussing on young mothers by things that she had heard at the previous gathering. She had been thinking about it for a while, but was also thinking about the direction in which she wanted her career to develop, as a newly qualified photographer. She had initially wanted to ‘follow the money’ and take shots of celebrities, but then realised “I wanted to do something that makes a difference, tell stories that matter.” Jendella described how, once she had made this decision, all sorts of doors opened for her. It was still very tough to get the project funded and off the ground, but she really felt she was answering God’s call for her. “It is important to get into your groove. You were made for certain things. No-one can do that for you.” When we are doing what God is calling us to do, we are not the imposter, we are in our own unique groove. God needs us to be ourselves, not anyone else, answering our own call, and we will be blessed in it.
God bless
Cecilia
You can find out more about the Gathering of Women Leaders at http://gatheringofwomenleaders.info/
The last session of the day was led by a photographer called Jendella Hallam Benson. She shared how she had been inspired to start a photography project focussing on young mothers by things that she had heard at the previous gathering. She had been thinking about it for a while, but was also thinking about the direction in which she wanted her career to develop, as a newly qualified photographer. She had initially wanted to ‘follow the money’ and take shots of celebrities, but then realised “I wanted to do something that makes a difference, tell stories that matter.” Jendella described how, once she had made this decision, all sorts of doors opened for her. It was still very tough to get the project funded and off the ground, but she really felt she was answering God’s call for her. “It is important to get into your groove. You were made for certain things. No-one can do that for you.” When we are doing what God is calling us to do, we are not the imposter, we are in our own unique groove. God needs us to be ourselves, not anyone else, answering our own call, and we will be blessed in it.
God bless
Cecilia
You can find out more about the Gathering of Women Leaders at http://gatheringofwomenleaders.info/
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