Recently I have heard people, whom I admire, confess that they were suffering from “The Imposter Syndrome”. Maybe it is the time of the year when we pause to reflect. I’ve certainly had many times when this self-defeating syndrome has crept up on me and impeded my ability to move forward. “One day they are going to find out that I am not really who they think I am.” “It is a fluke that this book has been a success’ … and on and on. Sadly, there are many reasons why we are programmed to think these thoughts. Not everybody is going to like what we do and it takes courage to face the world with our true beliefs and intuitive actions. It has taken many years and experiences to find it okay to love myself and accept what I have to offer. I can now stop asking for the acceptance of others and know that what I do will touch the people it is supposed to touch.
A few days ago, I received a post on Face Book from a special young woman, Nellie Fox, I had known as a child when I lived in Port Douglas in the eighties. She sent me the attached picture and thanked me for the inspiration I was to her so many years ago. She told me that she was doing the exciting work she is doing today with her company, Missie B Event Management, because of her family and me. I was incredibly touched. I had no idea and had almost forgotten the experience. I was asked to write a pantomime about a local animal. I chose the orange legged fowl – whose true name was Megapodius Reinwardt. It was at the time of Christopher Skase, whose ‘invasion’ changed Port Douglas forever.
Recently I have heard people, whom I admire, confess that they were suffering from “The Imposter Syndrome”. Maybe it is the time of the year when we pause to reflect. I’ve certainly had many times when this self-defeating syndrome has crept up on me and impeded my ability to move forward. “One day they are going to find out that I am not really who they think I am.” “It is a fluke that this book has been a success’ … and on and on.
I lived next to where the Mirage was built and as the lovely forest was demolished for this edifice, these little creatures became displaced, causing huge repercussions. They were flying into trees, being hit by cars and invading people’s gardens. I found it very distressing and was quite amused when the Mirage was built and the golf course constructed, these clever little things re-established themselves in the cultivated gardens and were often seen strolling around the golf course as if they had designed it for themselves.
I called the pantomime, “Megapodius Undaunted”. It was a bit of a metaphor of my own life at the time. I was supported by an amazing bunch of people and although there were those who went out of their way to criticise, it touched the people it was meant to touch. Nellie was the magic fairy pictured, and her mother Jill, made the most incredible costumes which I think were world standard. Two of the stars have since passed on but how grateful I was for their enthusiastic participation.
I was then encouraged to write a book about it and was keen to use a real background with my little cartoon figures superimposed. I did send it to publishers and there was some interest but in those days the project would have been too expensive to produce. One publisher mentioned that it was a bit too didactic and had to look up the meaning. Since then I have had to concede that seems to have become the genre that I always seem to engage in. I hope it is not because my father was a preacher- heaven forbid! I’d love to write the racy novel – and still hope I will. However, I seem to find myself forever engaged in wanting to change the world and it is always gratifying to get this positive feedback from people like Nellie. The racy novel will just have to wait.
