Beat impostor syndrome by listing what you've already accomplished instead of how far you have to go. Then send the email.
The idea
Dan Sullivan describes two ways to measure yourself. The gap is the distance between where you are and where you want to be. The gain is how far you've already come. Most of us live in the gap, so we feel like we don't belong in the room, and we don't send the email. Measuring the gain gets you back to the truth: you are enough to start a conversation, whatever the gremlins in your head say. And you're not alone in feeling like an impostor.
How to do it
Take out a piece of paper.
List what you've accomplished, personal or professional, major or minor. Starting a business. Getting out of bed this morning. Surviving cancer. Sticking with your values when it was hard.
Read it back.
Then send that email.
Keep the list where you'll see it. I keep about 50 wins mounted on my desk for days I need a boost.
Example
There's a story I like about an elderly gentleman at the back of a hall full of accomplished people, saying something like, "I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They've made amazing things. I just went where I was sent." He was the first man on the moon. If Neil friggin Armstrong can feel this way, so can you.
The Ego Wall: The urge to prove your worth to someone "above" you is the barrier. Picture them as an ordinary person and ask a human question.
Act As If: Add people you want to know to your CRM with your favorites, and at events act as if everyone is already a friend.
The Person You Talk to Most Is You: The story you tell yourself shapes every relationship. Notice the inner narrator, separate facts from stories, and stop pre-rejecting people.
You're So Typical: Most people feel bad at staying in touch, including the people you've drifted from. Swap "I" for "most people" and reach out anyway.