Recently snagged a new gig? Started a new great project? Recently received a compliment on your work? Feel like you don’t deserve any of the good stuff coming to you?
Yes? You’re not alone. What you’re experiencing are the crippling effects of imposter syndrome, which is described as very real and specific form of intellectual self-doubt. It happens to most of us—even if you don’t know exactly what it is.
Imposter syndrome usually occurs when we feel like a fraud—when we feel that our wins are undeserved. We convince ourselves that they’re based on factors that have nothing to do with us like luck or timing, instead of embracing the fact that we’re actually responsible for having made success happen in our lives.
The ironic part of this phenomena is that the further you go in your career or any other aspect of life, the more opportunities there are for imposter syndrome to rear to infiltrate your thoughts.
If this sounds like you, know this: It’s not likely you’ll ever be able to fully rid yourself of imposter syndrome. But the good news: There are ways to combat it! You can train yourself to quickly identify it, manage it, and live to rise again.
1. Talk about it
Shame keeps a lot of people from telling people about their fraudulent feelings. Knowing there’s a name for these feelings and that you are not alone can be tremendously freeing.
2. Differentiate between feelings and fact.
There are times you’ll feel inadequate and maybe even less than smart. It happens to everyone from time to time. Realize that just because you may feel
stupid, doesn’t mean you are. Recognize when you should feel fraudulent. If you’re one of the first or the few women or minorities in your field or workplace it’s only natural you’d sometimes feel like you don’t totally fit in. Instead of taking your self-doubt as a sign of your ineptness, recognize that it might be a normal response to being an outsider.
3. Highlight the positive.
Perfectionism can indicate a healthy drive to achieve success. The trick is to not obsess over everything being just so. Do a great job when it matters most. Don’t persevere over routine tasks. Forgive yourself when the inevitable mistake happens.
4. Embrace a new response to failure and mistake making.
Henry Ford once said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Instead of beating yourself up for being human for blowing the big project, do what professional athletes do and glean the learning value from the mistake and move on.
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.
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