Impostor Syndrome: The Dirty Details
Understanding and Overcoming Impostor Syndrome
Are you waiting for someone to write a think piece on how you’ve been rewarded numerous accolades yet are unqualified to receive them? Do you ever feel like you are working on something that is going well, but somehow you still feel like you don’t even know what you’re doing? A lot of people struggle with these feelings of inadequacies when it comes to their careers and interests. It is this little voice in your head that says: “Who do you think you are?” This feeling that you are somehow faking it despite all evidence is what we now call impostor syndrome. It can be a bit of a beast to deal with, which is why we are here to break it down.
What Is Impostor Syndrome Really?
Impostor syndrome is the belief that you are succeeding due to luck or by chance and internally you feel like a fraud and fear being “found out.” It is writing a book and being told that it is good and still feeling like you just fooled someone. It is getting a job promotion and being worried that you’re not truly capable of doing the job and will be exposed. Ultimately, impostor syndrome is what you call it when you are doing something, successfully, but still, feel like you don’t deserve it. All of the evidence is telling you that you are succeeding, but you just can’t psychologically accept it because there is no way right?!
When Impostor Syndrome Rears Its Ugly Head?
Impostor syndrome loves to show up when we are feeling good. It is this nagging suspicion that, even though we are succeeding, we don’t know what we are doing and perhaps someone else deserves it more. Many people experience this when they enter a new field, receive an unexpected promotion, or find themselves in an environment where they aren’t quite like everyone around them. Women and people of color are no strangers for feeling impostor syndrome simply because for so long the faces of success in so many industries have not included people that look like them. Impostor Syndrome goes hand in hand with perfectionism and fear of failure. They all fuel each other to create anxiety, and stress, having you question yourself and doubting your self-confidence. Giving in to these feelings can lead you to miss out on new opportunities, exploring other interests, trying out of the box genres, and being not authentically you with others.
“The best way to overcome Impostor Syndrome is to simply keep moving forward, confident, head held high, and allow yourself to celebrate victories as they occur.”
Making Impostor Syndrome Go Away
Most of the time, impostor syndrome doesn’t just go away. Sometimes you may have to encourage it, join a supportive peer group, or talk out your fears and concerns with a therapist or life coach. Though as time passes you might naturally grow in your confidence in a situation and feel it melt away, this still requires a conscious change on your end. At the end of the day, getting rid of impostor syndrome is a matter of building yourself up. Instead of allowing yourself to fill with doubt, tell yourself that you are enough and worthy. Tell yourself that you deserve it. Tell yourself that your success is a natural consequence of your efforts. More importantly, tell yourself that even if you don’t consider yourself the best yet, others are pleased with you presently and you have risen to the occasion. The best way to overcome Impostor Syndrome is to simply keep moving forward, confident, head held high, and allow yourself to celebrate victories as they occur.
You don’t need to be the best at what you do. You don’t need to worry about what someone else would be doing in your place. Instead, focus on the fact that you are working hard at something, people are acknowledging you because they genuinely like what you are doing. Know that nothing was just given to you and that you deserve it. The best way to rise above your impostor syndrome is to take a long, hard look in the mirror. At the end of the day, the perfect example of a person succeeding in your field will be staring right back at you. Now go, be fearless.
Katevious Love is a writer, digital content creator, public speaker, and blogger. In addition to her creations, she helps entrepreneurs develop and market projects to grow their brands. Her work has appeared in Bloomberg, The Startup, and on Netflix. If you’re interested in branding/marketing grab a FREE copy of “The Brand Identity” to get started below.
