I was talking to someone this week about the challenge of staying positive when we face uncertainty, we can't and shouldn't be positive all the time, in fact defensive pessimism has a particularly useful role to play in preparing us for uncertainty. Thinking forward to potential setbacks is a nifty way to problem solve, thinking through scenarios and ruminating on a problem is good for a while, as long as we avoid negative rumination or worrying.

We are told to be optimistic because it’s good for us, many studies show the health benefits of a positive outlook in life, but it is harder to be positive when uncertainty outweighs the things we think can control. This is just one of the ways in which we experience imposter phenomenon, in Episode 2 we explored the impact that imagined audiences with all their uncertainty has on our behaviour.

So today, we’ll look at one of life’s unsung heroes’, the grounding experience of gratitude, and how it can help us to take the uncertainty that is synonymous with imposter feelings and bring balance to our world view.