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Peace be with you. Congratulations on making it to another week!

This week, let’s consider filters. No, I’m not talking about the tools that make us all look a little prettier for Instagram or TikTok. I’m talking about the self-limiting filters that we often view our world through.

What do you do when you’re presented with an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone? Do you immediately jump at it? Do you pause and carefully consider it? Or do you shake your head, make excuses, and walk away as fast as you can?

If your natural reaction is to jump at it, good for you! Although often careful consideration might ensure you’re taking an authentic opportunity and not suffering from shiny object syndrome, but we’ll probably cover that in a future episode.

If you typically consider the opportunity and talk yourself out of it, or don’t even think about it as an option to begin with, we need to talk.

Most people view the world through filters created by our own unique experiences combined with cultural background, the stories the people around us have told us, and the stories we tell ourselves. Most of us don’t even realize that everything we do or say is tinted by our personal filter.

In “Return of the Jedi,” Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke that what he had originally said about Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker was true, “from a certain point of view.” If you remember this scene, you might understand what I mean by filters. Old Ben had told young Luke the story he was ready to hear – the story of how his father had once been a great man who was betrayed by Darth Vader. By the time Luke had matured enough to accept the more accurate version of the truth, the filter by which he heard the story had changed.

What truths do you cling to that aren’t serving you anymore? Or to put it another way, what self-limiting filters do you still believe even though they aren’t helping you make the most of your potential?

A common example of a self-limiting belief is imposter syndrome. Most of us have it, and it can be incredibly detrimental to our growth by making us afraid to put ourselves out there.

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where people doubt their skills and accomplishments, feeling like frauds who fear being exposed, despite evidence of success, and often attributing achievements to luck or somehow deceiving others.

It’s an easy filter to view the world through, and often comes from comparing ourselves to other, more successful people.

As a personal example, I’ll share that it used to be that every time someone asked me about my books, I would start by apologizing that they’re self-published, then downplaying the story summaries and characters, and finally saying, “but you can order them on Amazon if you’re really interested,” or something to that effect.

Who on Earth would want to pay for my books after I talked them out of it?

Some salesperson I am.

The truth is that I spent years of my life writing those books. I edited and tweaked and shared them with beta readers until I knew they were ready for publication. I put in the time and effort to independently publish them, which meant learning the multi-step processes and checking behind myself at least twice per book. As the platforms and software evolved, I learned even more because I needed to keep up with the industry.



I developed characters from my natural tendency to observe other people. I created worlds and rules that don’t exist. I devised plots and twisted them to make them more fun. I took the time to put them into a format that the world could consume, and I had the courage to put them out into the world.

So, why was my first response when asked about my books to downplay their existence? Because I’m not Steven King or JK Rowling or Tolkien. I’m just Nicolle Morock.

That, my friends, is imposter syndrome, and it took me years to realize that while it serves the purpose of keeping me humble, it doesn’t help with how I present myself and my work to the world.

Now when people ask about my books, I answer with enthusiasm and ask what genre they’re interested in, so I can tell them about the story I’ve written that might appeal to them. I offer no apologies for self-publishing. I didn’t want to be traditionally published anyway once I found out how that process worked because I am a control freak who enjoys being able to say, “I made this myself!”

I no longer apologize for what makes me who I am as an author, because nobody else could be any better at being me than I am.

The same goes for you. Don’t apologize for whatever shortcomings imposter syndrome tells you that you have. Realize that where you are right now is the reason you’re being offered the opportunity in front of you. Yes, ask the right questions to ensure the chance will help you in your journey and not take you down the wrong path. And if the answers make sense, don’t make excuses. Take the chance while you have it.

I’ve always asked myself when considering new opportunities whether, when I’m 90, will I tell my great-grand nephews or nieces that I regretted not trying something? If the answer might be yes, then I knew I needed to try it while I could.

Most people regret the things they did not do more than the things they did. So, don’t let a good opportunity pass you by because your self-limiting filters taint it. Remove the filters and go for it!

This week’s positivity challenge is as simple as last week’s. Do one small kindness for a stranger – hold the door open for them, let them in front of you if you reach the checkout line at the same time, let them merge safely into traffic with a friendly wave.

It doesn’t have to cost you anything but a few seconds of your time to share your light with the world.

Thanks for listening. Go forth and be kind!

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