​​To Decide: Breaking through imposter syndrome 🥋

What is kime?

There’s a concept in Japanese Karate called kime (決め), which translates into “to decide.” 

In martial arts terms, it signifies the act of channeling all your muscle, technique, will power, and belief into a singular, focused, decisive execution of a technique.

A direct strike through a board.
A clean kick into the heavy bag.
A definitive decision to resolve conflict.

While typically physical in nature, kime has philosophical and behavioral applications too.

Tackling imposter syndrome.

Take for instance our beloved imposter syndrome. That nagging, dragging sense of dread making you feel you’re in over your head and not good enough for the task at hand.

Speaking recently with my product design team, we addressed how—despite our confidence and best intentions—we all have it. We all share bouts of imposter syndrome. With a lot of the recent changes, newness of our work, and expectations on craft and excellence, a little imposter syndrome is to be expected.

And yet, if our own histories are anything to go by, each of us—through will and fortitude—will forge forward, trusting in our own strengths and experience to craft great work.

In the face of all that doubt, how do you do it?

You are the breakthrough.

You take all of that experience within yourself, all of that context and wisdom you have external to yourself, and you channel that into a singular focus by taking action; whether that is by making a plan, starting with a point of view, putting pen to paper, pixel to pixel. You manifest your focused intent and energy into committed action.

You decide.
You lead.
You drive.
And you go.

And then you reflect.
You learn.
And then you lead again.

In the fear, you in that moment, you decide to believe, to be fearless, to take action. To break through the stacks of imposter syndrome.

That is kime. And you have it too.