Currently, I’m in 6-month emotional leadership training. As we meet weekly in groups, I'm noticing a strange feeling come up—intimidation.

If you’re like me, your instinct is to run from intimidation. Especially if it involves someone causing it.

Yet that’s not what’s happening in the group. No one is intentionally intimidating me. The feeling is coming up because of my insecurity.

When it arises, I’ve been mindful not to go down the thought loop: I should have said that differently, I’m not as skilled as these people, I don’t deserve to be here.

Instead, I’ve been welcoming the feeling and reminding myself—it’s growing me.

We want to be in a room where we feel incompetent. It means we're learning. It means we're absorbing the energy in the room and expanding our comfort zone.

What's your relationship to intimidation?

I share some more thoughts on re-framing intimidation in this video. Check it out! The Positive Side of Intimidation