How to Conquer Imposter Syndrome
Declining Imposter Syndrome
What is Imposter Syndrome?
If you don't know what it is, imposter syndrome is associated with doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. Some other symptoms of this syndrome are: fear that you won't live up to expectations, attributing your success to external factors and even over-achieving.
The definition of Imposter syndrome in the Oxford dictionary is ‘the persistent inability to believe one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own effort and skills’.
Sound familiar? Well, that might be because it has been estimated that nearly 70% of people will experience imposter syndrome in their lifetime. It is also believed that 78% of executive women suffer from imposter syndrome from time to time. Shocking right? I know so many strong, successful women - including myself - who have experienced these feelings of fraud at some point in their careers, it's just not right.
Women strive day after day to reach the top of their careers and then BOOM! Imposter Syndrome strikes. They no longer feel worthy of that position they have looked forward to reaching for years.
So…. What Can Be Done?
1. Face the Facts
When we are in a role that we don’t feel worthy of, we often forget how we got there in the first place. All we can focus on is feeling like a fraud, but when we actually take a step back and look at the situation, it becomes much more clear how we got there. Whether it be through passing an interview, getting a promotion, or pitching to a client, you earned that role, and it's super important to remind yourself of that.
2. Celebrate your successes
When we are suffering with impostor syndrome, it becomes very easy for us to just brush off our successes without giving ourselves credit, but this only makes things worse. Next time you receive some positive feedback, just pause for a moment. Take it all in and think about how you feel in that moment. You can think back to these moments when you feel imposter syndrome starting to sneak in.
3. List your achievements
Having a physical list of your achievements is probably the best way to remind yourself of everything you have achieved. To conquer imposter syndrome you need to remind yourself that you are just as, if not more, qualified as the people around you. Write down at least 12 things onto a list that you are proud of, inside and outside of your career.
My fourth and final tip for you is to remember that you're not alone in feeling this way, 7 in 10 people have or will experience this at some point in their careers, so why don't more people speak up about it? Let's break the stigma!
If you enjoyed this blog about overcoming imposter syndrome and would like to find out more about smashing it in your personal and professional life then I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy of my best-selling book ‘SMASH IT! The Art of Getting What YOU Want’ on Amazon!
