Face It: The Mirror Of Success Doesn’t Lie

What’s The Real Harm?

You may be thinking, how can imposter syndrome really have any lasting negative effects? Just push those thoughts of doubt out of your mind. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple and it can seriously impact people that experience it. Since imposter syndrome instills such a heavy sense of self-doubt, its not just a case of someone shunning praise or glossing over major achievements, it can lead to much larger, long-term issues. Sufferers will tend to not seek out opportunities for promotions or push themselves to negotiate for better pay. Also, since they tend to feel so insecure in their own competencies, they may not present new ideas or show stronger leadership skills for fear of being “exposed.”

Ultimately, it becomes somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy. You cannot succeed because you believe you don’t have the skills or knowledge to do so. The worst part about this is, the people that typically fall victim to this type of thinking are often the hardest workers and usually have some of the best ideas to improve efficiencies or implement better processes, but they will never speak up out of unwarranted fear. This means that they will not only personally suffer, but also they will never contribute their full potential to their company without a change in thinking.

Overcoming The Feeling Of Not Being Enough

On a positive note, the initial step of overcoming imposter syndrome is recognizing that it exists in the first place. Personally, just knowing that this is a common feeling and that so many others feel a similar way has already helped significantly.

Being able to identify that you are experiencing imposter syndrome will allow you to better separate how you’re feeling from the truth. Just because you feel this way, that does not make it your reality.

Realizing this makes it much easier to document your accomplishments, attribute them to the skills you possess, and separate the facts from your feelings. This approach will also allow you to re-write your own personal narrative. Instead of focusing so heavily on how you might fail or fall down, redirect your focus and think about how you’ve been able to succeed. And for instances when you do come up short, don’t dwell on the negatives, but use that as a learning experience. Figure out how you can adapt and do better in the future even if that means asking others for help.

Getting out from under the weight of imposter syndrome is a gradual, but completely doable process. It all starts with that first step. At least I know the next time I am questioned about my success, I will without hesitation own my accomplishments and answer with confidence.