I often see people get stuck in the “credibility trap”. The “credibility trap” is this part of us that believes we need more education, certifications, knowledge or experience before we can start something. It’s a big lie we call for and here’s why.
It’s not so much the knowledge that we’re seeking, but the confirmation to ourselves that “yes, I can do this scary thing”. I’m speaking from experience, of course. Though I have been a coach my whole life (if you don’t remember my Dr. Therapy story, check it out here), I felt like I needed a coaching certification to be “legit”. Once I had the certification, and now 3 years after graduation, I know that who I was really trying to prove my legitimacy to, was to myself.
Have you ever done this?
Maybe you have a knack for calligraphy but instead of sharing it with the world you sign up for the class after class to “learn more” and “get better”.
Or maybe you have a deep desire to help people, so you commit to degrees and programs and modalities that prove you are here to help.
Maybe you spend a lot of time “researching” what you want to do and spend very little time if any actually doing the thing you want to do.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan and believer in continuing education. My argument today though is that learning more isn’t going to do much if you don’t already trust what you do know. It’s often a fear that holds us back from what we really want.
If you can’t trust yourself, you will radiate the energy of distrust, and then others will not trust you (and it won’t be because you do or do not have a certification). Is that the kind of energetic exchanges you want to have in this world?
I can’t recall a time in my 5 years of coaching that someone asked about my certification other than someone who was also looking to become a coach and get certified. My clients work with me because of well...me.
In my journal this morning I wrote “modalities pale in comparison to lived experiences”. Get out and do the thing you want to do, trust that you can do it well AND THEN commit to whatever education is needed to get you from step 1 to step 2.
I want to leave you with one thing: before you commit to your next “I need to do this before I can do that” thing, ask yourself if you trust yourself? Do you trust yourself at this moment? If you are struggling to fully trust what you already know, perhaps your next investment should be getting closer to your heart.
Until next time!
Love,
Kelsey