Before I walked into a conference room, I used to have that flicker of doubt.
What if I’m the one who knows the least?
What if I’m not prepared to answer each question?
After working with thousands of lawyers, I can tell you this: insecurity is not a “women’s issue.” Men feel it too. They may tend to voice it less often, but I’ve heard the phrase “imposter syndrome” used by people of all genders.
I’ve always loved writing. Yet in first grade, my teacher sent me to several sessions with a special education instructor because I insisted on holding my pencil the “wrong” way — wedged between my third and fourth fingers instead of the “proper”, more elegant grip between my second and third fingers. I was told it was a bad thing to do and warned that it might hold me back later in life.
I still hold my pencil the wrong way.
Two books later, it doesn’t seem to have stopped me.
That’s why seeing the recent Publishers Weekly review of “Breaking Ground” meant so much to me.
Not because it erased insecurity — but because it reminded me that you don’t have to eliminate doubt to move forward. You just have to keep going anyway.
Insecurity doesn’t disqualify you or take you out of a race. It makes you human.
And sometimes, the very thing that makes you feel different is the thing that carries you through.
