If you’ve ever reached a point in your life when a voice in your head starts telling you that you’re not good enough, not experienced enough, not smart enough, not _____ enough; pay attention. It’s telling you more than you think.

Limiting beliefs and self doubt aren’t anything new, but the diagnosis of “Imposter Syndrome,” actually is. The first time someone used the term was in 1978, and since then it’s become a common “diagnosis” when people hit a point of resistance in their belief to do something great.

You know the feeling…

You sit down. You’re ready to work, and all of a sudden it wakes up. It starts to slow you down, distract you, and even deceive you into believing that the work you want to do can’t be done because you don’t have enough authority, enough influence, or enough experience.

The voice makes you feel like you’re posing.

But what if I told you that voice is a signal that you’re moving in the right direction—because that’s exactly what it is.

Today, let’s put that voice in its place. Say it with me:

“I am not an imposter.”

The War in Your Head

You may already know this, but imposter syndrome isn’t really a “syndrome” at all? Not in the classic sense anyway. Regardless, the anxiety it breeds can still be just as debilitating. When it comes to traction, imposter syndrome is like the sludge that keeps your engine from moving.

Creators know the struggle.

“You really think you can get this done?”

“Will it be as good as…[you know who]?”

“This is so stupid. I look dumb talking to a camera.”

“No one cares what I have to say.”

Whenever you want to get started, something (or someone) is always trying to stop you.

This is what Steven Pressfield called “Resistance,” in his mandatory-read-for-all-creators, The War of Art. (It really is a mandatory read for all creators. It’s that good. You’re welcome.)

Whether it’s called Resistance, Imposter Syndrome—and to those who don’t understand the creative process—laziness; whatever it gets called, this and every other form of delay keeps us stuck, fills us with self-doubt and keeps us from seeing the momentum we all want in our work.

So how do you beat it?

Well, you don’t.

Any athlete will tell you. When you’re training, you don’t fight resistance. You use it. Resistance, as much as it can hurt, is precisely what makes you stronger, faster, and sharper. In the beginning, resistance might kick your butt, but that’s only because in the beginning no one’s prepared for it. But every time you come back, you learn a little bit more about it, where it’s coming from, when it hurts the most, and thus, when to push the hardest.

Resistance can work in two ways. It can be a force to stop you, or it can be the force that makes you stronger.

Use the second one.

How to Find Clarity and Cultivate Creativity

Ask people who have done well, and you’ll hear common threads. You’ll hear people say they stopped being afraid to fail.

In other cases you’ll hear people talk about how they got clear about what they wanted, and how that helped set the tone for everything else after—especially understanding how “failure” was a necessary part of the process.

If you feel like the resistance you experience keeps you from having clarity about your identity, calling, purpose, and drive, this framework can be a useful tool to help you along the journey.

The IMAGE^N (as in, “imagine”) Framework:

1. Identity: Who are you? What drives you? What do you stand for? Why do you care about what you care about?
2. Message: What problem are you uniquely capable of solving?
3. Audience: Who’s problem is it? Where are they? How bad does it hurt?
4. Goals: What do you want to achieve, immediately and ultimately?
5. Execution: What’s the one thing you can do, that by doing it, makes everything else easier or unnecessary?
6. No: Say “No.” Where do you need to say “No”, to focus on where to say YES?

I – Identity: Who are you becoming?

Identity isn’t just about what you do. It’s about who you are. Not only that, it’s about who you are becoming. Every story is one of transformation, and yours is no different.

Pressfield talks about “turning pro.” But you don’t just “turn pro.”

You become pro.

That transformation begins by taking an honest assessment of where you’re at. Just like lifting weights for the first time (or after a lengthy hiatus), resistance is harder and heavier than you remember. But that’s ok! Don’t fall into the trap, or believe the lie, that just because it’s this hard now, it will always be that hard, so don’t bother trying. That’s nonsense.

Everything you want is just on the other side of hard.

Same goes for creativity and your story. The hard part is front loaded when you have to ask yourself questions that are too deep for small talk. But if you don’t quit, you’ll uncover more source material for your creativity than you probably thought possible. Why?

Because the greatest source of creativity is your story.

Couple that with design inspiration and your specific taste, and you have what’s called, “a POV,” or a perspective.

This is what makes you stand out because it’s what makes everyone unique.

This is your voice.

Your quirky take on today’s trend is exactly what will make your work your work. So when you put it out there, you won’t get everyone’s attention, but you’ll get the right people’s attention.

That’s why the best way to market yourself is to become yourself.

Stop trying to be the next (fill in the blank). Be the first you.

What you’ll find is that there are a lot more people out there going through similar things that you’ve gone through; people facing similar problems that you’ve gotten past. You can help them solve those problems, bring order where they see chaos, and help them tell themselves a much better story.

So here’s help to get you more clear about yours.