Impostor Syndrome: How to Live With It
Here’s what impostor syndrome is like: you scroll through job posts, and think to yourself,
Nope, I’m not qualified enough…
Nope, I don’t think I have enough training for that…
Nope, they might ask why I’m applying when I don’t fit the criteria…sigh…
I should just continue with what I’m trying to learn so I can be an expert on it…
They might discover I’ve been faking it…or maybe I’ve just been lucky.
Do these sound familiar? Yes, that’s one aspect of impostor syndrome.
THAT’S ME.
I’m constantly second-guessing myself when I look at job postings. Do I have what it takes?
And yet, I’ve been successful in my jobs — my employers have always been very generous in their praise of me, and one even called me a few months after I had resigned to work elsewhere, trying to have me go back to work for them again.
According to the Harvard Business Review, “Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. ‘Imposters’ suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.”
How do we overcome it then?
- We can be proud of our accomplishments — luck didn’t have anything to do with our triumphs. Hard work and determination did! Be proud of yourself.
- Talk about our feelings of self-doubt — that’s what friends are for actually. We need to be able to voice our lack of self-confidence to someone. It can be to a trusted coworker, your boss, a best friend, or a family member.
- Write down our accomplishments — seeing them on paper and knowing exactly that we’ve hit a goal, or gotten that promotion, etc.. should make us feel just a bit more confident in ourselves.
- Look in the mirror each morning and tell yourself: “I’ve Got This!” Just reiterating it to ourselves each day will help in believing in our success.
Just remember, you aren’t alone in this! Many successful personalities suffer from impostor syndrome too. According to the NY Times, famous personalities like Tina Fey, Maya Angelou, and Michelle Obama would also occasionally suffer from it.
Let’s not allow impostor syndrome stop us from believing in ourselves, and our successes!
