Me, myself, and imposter syndrome
A brief account of what having imposter syndrome taught me, and some advice on dealing with it…
By: Camila Lourenço: This article is a translation to English. The original version can be read here.
In 2017, I was on a frantic quest for knowledge, and I stumbled across the following text: “Lidando com a Síndrome do Impostor” (Dealing with Imposter Syndrome).
I immediately thought “Say what? Imposter Syndrome?” and started reading.
For context, I had made a substantial professional change that year which had left me in a state of internal conflict concerning my career. Every time I received praise or recognition from someone, I had an ever-increasing feeling that I was fooling them — I felt like a fraud!
As I read the article, I thought “I might have this… no, nevermind, this is bullshit, I really am a fraud and this imposter syndrome stuff is hogwash …”.
Consequently, that feeling always came back, the feeling that I lacked the abilities and expertise to be where I was, especially when it came to taking on a new challenge or making a big professional change.
Eventually, this led me to revisit the topic and understand why, due to various reasons (my childhood, a woman working in tech) and even my personality, the syndrome wasn’t just some hogwash, and was actually something I needed to deal with.
The combination of real science, alongside the fact that I wasn’t the only one who experienced this, convinced me… I started to reflect upon what the syndrome had kept me from accomplishing.
Well, throughout my life, I never stayed put in my comfort zone for long, but I confess that whenever I made career moves, that feeling of being a fraud always bubbled up.
I also noticed that I demand too much from myself, and that I strive for perfection in the things that I do, seeking validation for my opinions, and when I didn’t find it, it was basically a confirmation of my incompetence.
I always wanted to disseminate my expertise through articles and lectures, but I would always sabotage myself by convincing myself that other people wouldn’t be interested in the information and experiences I had to share.
But after lots of reflection, I finally understood that my information was indeed useful!
Consequently, after thinking up several justifications, I decided to write my first article… and here we are, thanks to some encouragement from several people; especially those here, at Creditas, where we get lots of support for these types of actions.
It is this kind of support, which was so essential in ensuring this text was more than just a rough draft, that shows how essential the company’s culture is for minimizing the effects of imposter syndrome.
I’ve been at a Creditas for about a month, and I quickly noticed that people genuinely care for each other, something which manifests itself as early as the interview process. On a daily basis, this is lived out, from the way that past experiences are valued and transparency is incentivized, to the conversations that are held about feelings and expectations. It’s things like these that have made my life here so healthy.
So, I decided that my first publication would be about who I really am, by briefly discussing my relationship with imposter syndrome. However, the true aim of this article is to tell my story and some of the things I’ve learned, so that it might help some other people living with this problem.
I still hold myself to unrealistic standards and sometimes still question my abilities, but I now deal with these situations in a much healthier manner. This transformation happened once I understood how important it is to:
Know yourself
Self awareness is essential — knowing what you can improve helps deal with insecurity and critiques. Even more importantly, knowing how your strengths can help you evolve makes all the difference. Always reflect when you feel insecure, incapable, or are holding yourself accountable in a negative way. Develop a way of dealing with this feeling in a healthy way.
Understand that nobody is perfect
Understand that everybody can contribute something valuable, despite errors or a lack of mastery over a topic. This helps get us past insecurity, and appreciate ourselves and others more. Write down the praises you recieve and revisit them, and be sure to recognize others; this cycle ends up strengthening positive thinking among everyone.
And lastly…
Enable yourself
After absorbing these first two points, challenge yourself, expose yourself, be vulnerable, accept praises, and use critiques to work on yourself. Don’t stop moving forward!
Interested in working with us? We’re always looking for people passionate about technology to join our crew! You can check out our openings here.
