Do You Feel Like You Don’t Know Enough?

Misbah Haque  00:06

Hey everybody, what’s going on? Welcome back to another episode of Pod Mahal. My name is Misbah Haque. And in the next few minutes, I want to take the time to answer a question that I got from one of my clients. It was one of those things where I asked him point-blank, what would you click on? What would you want to listen to? Or watch? What are the types of things that would be interesting to you? And one of the many different topics he gave me was titled, do you feel like you don’t know enough? And this hit me to the core?

Because I know the times where I feel like I don’t know enough there are times where that still happens. In our consultations, we have discussed this time and time again. You may put it under the category of imposter syndrome, feeling like a fraud (Man, I know something but then I know nothing at the same time, is what I’m doing really working). Like, you’re more on the constantly doubting yourself side than you are on the confidence. Man, I know what I’m doing. I’m crushing it in my career and field like, I know that feeling. 

So I want to dissect that, because it’s something that can hold you back from ever starting it can, it’s something that can really be the cause of procrastination with a lot of different things, starting your podcast posting on Instagram, because you’re not knowing enough. We like let’s dig into that a little bit. What would it be? Like? Let’s flip it? What would it be like, if you didn’t know enough? So if you knew everything,  what would actually change? Is it the type of results you’re getting, the types of conversations you’re having? The tonality? Or confidence that you would speak with. And then what are those specific topics? So what are those secret areas in your mind or a fear? Like, man, I have? No, I know nothing about this. And I feel like I need to,  you may not need to at all right, you might be able to just ignore it and focus on your strengths. 

But if there is something that would help you feel like you know enough, then what is that? Now, realistically, and in an actionable way? What do you need to protect that? Because not knowing enough is actually a really valuable feeling to have. Because it is driving you to learn more, it is driving you to be more innovative than somebody who feels like they know enough. It’s something you are going to encounter ideas out of that anxiety and paranoia. And bring a quality, I think, to your work that you definitely would not if that feeling was not present. 

So I think one is kind of accepting and acknowledging that like, hey, that feeling is good. But it can be not good, because then let’s say it’s inhibiting you from actually starting something. So when that feeling is coming up, it’s instantly shifting to the approach of being an explorer. Being a tinkerer, being a wander, being a learner, right? being somebody who is truly just kind of expressing their personal point of view. Anytime you feel like I’m getting preachy, or I don’t know what I’m talking about, like, or I might sound like that. Immediately, you shift to your, instead of saying you should do this, it’s like, here’s a time where I did this. Here’s the time where this happened to me, and here’s how I felt through it. If you can explain your thoughts on keto, through that perspective, that’s a lot less threatening than if you were like, Hey, I know all the answers to keto. 

Because if you envision yourself coming at it through that lens, now there’s a bunch of things in your head, you’re like, oh, man, now I need to know research and I need to cite this stuff. And it just becomes overwhelming to make this piece of content but it’s like what do you really want to say and I think there is a way to create that. Even in the end, it’s special, it’s really special when you are in the midst of idleness because there will never come a time where you experience that again. So this is your one chance to document it. 

I can tell you from being in different industries and watching other professionals, one of the most sacred feelings is knowing and connecting to what a pure beginner and somebody in the beginning stages might feel and go through. That pure empathy that you can have for your customers in fitness, this is to accommodate people who are really fit and have just got and use to their perfect meal prep and everything, they can’t connect to the struggles of what real some of their clients are really going through, right? 

So really protect the fact that, hey, this not knowing enough idea allows me to show up, be vulnerable, learn in public, show people how I learn, you ask great questions. And over time, you do know enough. Because when you talk to people, and you surround yourself with people who know more than you, I mean, hey that’s a playground with podcasts, right? That’s like, what this place is set up for is, you can absolutely have other people who know more than you. And they’re helping you create the content. And you are simply learning and observing and taking the take of what and a listener would actually experience, right, so they can experience it with you. Now another strategy, when it comes to creation here is to go solo. 

So when it comes to podcasts, and you’re like, I don’t know, enough, I don’t know if I can start a podcast. If you frame your podcast as like, Hey, this is the go to source for nutrition information, that, hey, you’ve locked yourself in to something where that fear might haunt you, right. But if you take the approach from the very beginning of like, you know what, I don’t know what I’m doing here. But there are some ideas I’m really passionate about. And this feels just right to me. And these episodes will get better. 

So bear with me. I’m going to be exploring some common questions that I get from a lot of my clients. And I want to share a lot of these free tips with you, blah, blah, blah, like you can go into your thing. But do you see three sentences upfront as being honest and like, being like, hey, here’s where I’m coming out from this. Like, maybe ask yourself, What’s wrong with showing that? Is there something that in your mind feels like if I show this, then? Is it a sign of weakness? Will this client or listener not choose me? Will it not be as interesting? What is that fear? 

And I think sit with it, there’s no answer I’m giving, I’m just going to ask questions that you can explore here. And if I was to turn it into action items, it really is to explore what are tangibly the things that you need to know enough or feel like that. This may not be the case for you. But it is, you know, it was the case for this client, where he figured out that when he’s not learning, you know, and going through certification stuff, or listening to other podcasts, and, you know, feeling the excitement of learning new things. He doesn’t feel like these fears creep up more, right. 

So we noticed when, you know, as he was getting more successful, or just getting busier, that time is the first time that can go away, you’re not spending 45 minutes learning new stuff anymore, because it’s just not as high up on the priority list. Right? So being able to protect that, right? Simply being able to protect that is maybe the behavior that then makes you go okay, I kind of know what I’m doing. And the fact that I don’t know what I’m doing, that’s my thing. I think that being able to make that your thing is very powerful. Because when else are you going to get a chance to document that three years later, when you do know what you’re doing a little more, you’ll wish you had documented some stuff from early on from the beginning. And I think it’s fun to watch somebody improve, it’s fun to watch somebody, like, kinda not know and start exploring to then being like, Oh, wow, this person really knows a lot. 

They’re just kind of humble about it. Right? You might have like, this client that I’m thinking of has that type of personality, right? Where he actually doesn’t know a lot. He knows enough. It’s kind of like in his head. But when, through just that, that characteristic that he has of always learning more and feeling like, Man, I could know more I could be doing better, right? It’s helpful enough for him where it makes me kind of buy into him as a coach. I’m like, oh, man, this guy’s like, I trust him because he’s always learning. 

He’s always hungry for what’s next and what’s out there and I don’t need to look into it because he’s looking into it. You know, your clients will appreciate and your listeners will appreciate that type of mentality. Because having a beginner’s mentality and being able to ask those types of questions and connect with those types of people are skill sets that people spend years trying to develop. And so that’s the one strength I think you have when you are at the beginning stages of something or you are just in a funk of like, I don’t know enough. I think you can leverage it. And then just acknowledging that, hey, there are seasons, right? 

So there are gonna be times where you really feel like enough and you’re applying stuff, it’s clicking, it’s working. And then there are times where you feel like a fraud and like, you don’t know enough. And it’s what are you doing with your life, like, you’re gonna have an identity crisis. So this is just knowing, hey, it’s very similar to a creative process of any kind, or project of any kind, where you have those peaks and valleys. And I hope this was useful in giving you some frameworks and mindsets in doing this. And this is a topic I say, I’ll continually be exploring, as I have guests on and things like that, we’ll ask them this, because I think it’s fascinating. We all have seasons where we feel like this. 

So putting yourself out there. And coming from a standpoint of someone who doesn’t know enough, but is learning is exploring, I think that’s interesting, if you have somebody who you’re you’re listening to who knows at all, let’s count the number of people who we listen to who are actually interesting and fun, and we relate to and connect with, because of that reason. 

There are a handful of people I might want for that. But for a lot of things, my fitness coach or my trainer, my real estate agent I don’t want them to tell me I have no idea what I’m doing. Just really lean into that all the time. But it’s kind of just like I’m learning and exploring. This is the documentation. Here’s where I’m at right now. I respect that versus someone faking it and trying to be, super perfect. That’s not as real, that’s not as authentic. That’s not because it doesn’t feel as good, right? It feels there’s more pressure to appear that way. 

So anyways, I hope this was useful. I know I went on longer than the five minutes. But hey, it’s a podcast. That’s what we are here to do. We explore topics with context and depth and I hope I did an okay job of doing so with this. And if you have any more questions, I would love to continue to expand this conversation. Please DM me on Instagram @podmahal or shoot me a message at www.podmahal.com. That’s also where you can get tons and tons of free resources to help you start a podcast no matter what stage you’re at. So check that out. And again, thank you so much for your time. Thank you for tuning in. And I will talk to you next time.