We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yee Ley Lau a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Yee Ley, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I have become friends with the imposter syndrome version of myself. Meaning I give space for that part of me to be acknowledged for who they are. That part of me that is in fear, doubt or having self-sabotaging-downward-spiralling commentary is allowed to exist, but is not in the driver seat anymore.
My life has been an exploration of careers in different industry sectors, from the fast food industry, working in sales and marketing, advertising, information technology, energy medicine and now transpersonal facilitation. Each move presents an imposter ready to trip me over.
When the imposter shows up, I see it as a sign of growth. As we expand beyond our limiting stories and ego constructs the part of us that is resisting that growth is freaking out as it wants us to stay small.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
“Light Your Life” is both my business and life motto.
I provide experiences for people that offer a safe space for profound transformation. My offerings facilitate a sense of relief and expanded self-awareness, and inspired conscious creations
Whether that be through sound healing journeys, healing voice classes, or self-awareness workshops, the invitation is to bring more lightness into our lives by integrating the shadowy aspects of ourselves.
I love witnessing people’s eyes light up when they dare to go beyond their current limiting stories or reconnect with a part of themselves they had lost.
The experiences I currently offer include:
– Sound Healing Journeys for a transpersonal experience
– Healing Voices Choir, allowing individuals to play, explore, and express themselves through their voices.
– Family and Systemic Constellations, providing a deeper understanding of oneself and one’s place in the world.
I am based in New Zealand and also offer online classes, allowing people from anywhere in the world to connect with me. Additionally, I have a collection of meditative tracks on InSight Timer for those interested in connecting with my healing sounds.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three things I would share with others that have been helpful for me on my journey are
- The Lightness of You
Practice choosing what feels light for you in every moment. Whether that’s choosing what you eat, to who you hang out with, where you spend your time. Practicing and acknowledging what is congruent for you helps you strengthen your sense of self and your own knowing. We can get easily entangled with other people’s opinions and judgements of what we should or should not be or do, so practicing to sense the lightness that is truth for you is a good baseline for owning your own choices. - Whole-listic Practice
Learning to embrace a whole-listic view of you. Meaning you allow all parts of you to have a place in your world including your imposter syndrome.*
For example you can say to yourself ‘You’re allowed to feel in doubt in my body’. This helps diffuse and dissolve the intensity of the emotion/sensation coming up in your world.
(*So long as you are not doing any harm to yourself or others.)
- Keep on keeping on
We are inevitably going to trip over, make mistakes, veer off track and we’re all allowed to do that.
You and I all belong here. There is space for all of us to exist here on earth. There is no end goal, only enriching experiences to be had.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
For me there are 2 types of overwhelm
One is, ‘I cannot function or think and am on the edge of hyperventilating’. When I feel this type of overwhelm, I pause and place a hand on my chest and take a slow deep breath for a few moments to calm down. If I am able to, I find a space where I can just sit with me I will start to register specific objects in my environment to widen my visual perspective to help calm my nervous system.
The other type of overwhelm is where we have a sense of too many tasks that are required to be completed urgently. For this, I have a whiteboard with the question ‘What inspired action can I take now that will create greater for me and we?’
Different areas of my life are named there so I can glance at what is required in the moment. This includes my business, meditation, inner-work, body movement, friends, my partner, gardening, art, music, community, house, and rest. I find this approach effective for me where I am able to complete the relevant tasks required with more ease. It brings me out of the ‘I need to push and promote my business’ mode to ‘I’m feeling inspired to action something’.
Things happen for us when we are in our happy space, so it’s really important to connect back to the things we love doing especially if we are experiencing overwhelm.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.yeeleylau.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yeeleylau/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yeeleylau/
- Other: https://insighttimer.com/yeeleylau
