Greetings all and Happy 2020. The holiday season was, not surprisingly, incredibly busy for the Medows family. We had a great season spending Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with friends and family. It is not lost upon us how fortunate we are!!!
With all that was going on from time with friends/family, weaning calves, and lining up guests for the next couple months of podcasts, I have not had much spare time to spend writing. With all that is going on, it is not hard to become overwhelmed. There are times when we sometimes feel like we are faking it to make it ( that didn’t rhyme like it was supposed to). This can lead to what psychologists and psychiatrists call Imposter Syndrome .
Imposter syndrome is is a psychological pattern in which one doubts one’s accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” It is the feeling that our accomplishments, credentials, and accolades were obtained through luck and not through skill and achievement. It’s a completely debilitating state that can lead to us making some very poor life decisions.
I first read about imposter syndrome earlier this year when I heard another man speak about it in a Facebook group. While listening to him, I realized that I too tended to struggle with this in many, if not all, aspects of my life. I know that most recently in my new endeavors as a podcaster/blogger, I have struggled with this immensely. But also I’ve struggled with it professionally from time to time. Thinking that I got through pharmacy school by pure luck. Additionally, thinking that my knowledge as a cattleman are the result of luck. Even my new found hobby/passion of running has left me feeling as a bit of an imposter because of my perceived lack of experience.
When we struggle with imposter syndrome, we tend to be too cautious in our decisions. We tend to stay in our comfort zone and not branch out for fear of being “figured out.” One such instance from my own life was my most recent podcast interview with one of my mentors and heroes, Dave Pratt. Dave recently retired from Ranch Management Consultants, the company that puts on the Ranching for Profit Schools. His teachings have been so influential on my life. However, in the process of preparing for the interview, I felt a sudden feeling of inadequacy. I had not begun to put some of the grazing management practices that Dave teaches into practice yet. I had not even been to one of his Ranching For Profit schools. So who was I to ask him questions if I wasn’t coming to it from the most educated point I could. I was playing into the fear of not being good enough.
“Perfect is the enemy of good”
Voltaire
This was a prime example of me falling victim to this imposter syndrome. However, there was this quote that kept going though my head that has helped me get over so many hurdles in my journey. “Perfect is the enemy of good.” If I was going to make myself wait until the perfect time to talk to someone I admired as much as Mr. Pratt, then I may as well just cancel the interview because things were never going to be perfect. We spend so much time worrying about things being perfect that we do not realize how much time and traction we are losing by just not getting them done.
So I quit worrying about how much I knew or didn’t know when talking to Dave and asked some genuine questions to which I received genuine answers. We talked about the importance of enjoying what we do for a living and enjoy the time we spend with our families. That is what is most important.
Was I initially nervous in talking to someone I admired so much? Yes. Was this normal? Of course. Were these nerves any excuse to not be authentic and true to myself and my mission of saving the agriculture industry? Absolutely not. When we try to become a part of something bigger than ourselves, then we are obligated to carry out the work no matter how scared we are. I’m so thankful that I was able to have a little bit of courage and speak to Dave because he has meant so much to me.
For those of you curious, the episode featuring Dave Pratt will be released Monday, January 13. We had a great conversation that covered so many things about happiness and health that we hold dear at ASom. I have also made it a goal of mine to publish one blog post per week in the coming year. I have the goal of one day writing a book, so I’ll need the practice😳.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the podcast, go check us out at the Global Ag Network. There you will find links to all of our episodes. I also made a blog post back in November that linked all the other ways you can find the podcast.
Coming this week, I will be going solo for the first time since the first episode of the podcast. This is something that I am very uncomfortable doing, but something I know will be asked of me more and more in the future.
Thanks to all of you who are reading and listening to the podcast. I believe we have done so many great things so far, but are on the cusp of even more extraordinary feats.
