The Authority Lie: Nobody’s Coming to Hand You Credibility
Stop waiting to be picked. Authority begins the moment you choose yourself.
For a long time, I thought credibility was something someone else would give me.
I thought there’d be a moment where an outside voice would say: Now you’re ready. Now you belong. Now you’re legitimate.
It never came.
Not from my family. Not from bosses. Not from the gatekeepers I tried to impress. And not from the industry I wanted to break into.
So I kept waiting.
Waiting for someone to notice.
Waiting for someone to pick me.
Waiting for someone to grant me permission.
And while I was waiting, opportunities were passing me by.
The permission reflex
Most of us are trained into this. From the time we’re kids, we’re taught to look for external validation. The teacher’s grade. The boss’s review. The committee’s decision.
It makes sense that we carry the same reflex into our brands. We look for:
A credential stamped by an institution.
A bigger name inviting us into the room.
A roster of clients that will finally “prove” we’re worth it.
But here’s the lie: authority isn’t something you’re given.
It’s something you claim.
Credibility isn’t assigned. It’s demonstrated.
Nobody handed me credibility the day I became a strategist, a coach, a writer, or a publicist. And soon to be publisher. I earned it the first time I showed proof: a client booked, a story landed, a result made visible.
Authority comes from leading. Not asking.
Credibility comes from showing. Not waiting.
Trust comes from demonstrating. Not declaring.
The pivot moment
My turning point came when I stopped waiting for permission and realized: no one is coming.
No one was going to hand me a microphone and say, Here’s your platform.
No one was going to call me up and say, We’ve decided you’re credible now.
So I picked myself.
I wrote the bio.
I sent the pitch.
I stepped into the authority I’d been postponing.
And almost instantly, the way the world responded shifted. Not because I had suddenly “become” credible—but because I stopped hiding behind the fantasy of being chosen.
The truth most experts miss
Authority starts the moment you decide you’re ready to lead. Not after the book deal. Not after the credential. Not after someone else stamps approval.
The experts who get booked, remembered, and rebooked are the ones who decide: I’m done waiting to be picked. I’m claiming it now.
And when you do that—when you stop outsourcing your credibility—you’ll notice something: The world starts treating you like you’ve had it all along.
If you’re tired of waiting for permission and want to see where your credibility is leaking, grab the free Personal Brand Visibility Audit. It will show you the exact shifts you need to claim authority and start attracting the right opportunities.
Get the audit here → Personal Brand Visibility Audit
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Jane Grismer is a professional coach, brand strategist, and creator of Booked + Branded. She helps quietly powerful experts turn clarity into positioned offers, visible authority, and scalable growth—through structure, simplicity, and intentional focus. www.janegrismer.com