Imposter Syndrome; Getting Over That BullShit
Imposter syndrome is the worst. I mean, it's really, really bad, causing confusion, lack of confidence, anxiety, fear, analysis paralysis, the inability to put yourself and your products or service out there.
So how do you know if you have Imposter Syndrome? Well, it's incredibly common, affecting successful people from all walks of life all over the world. There is a test you can take to determine if you suffer and to what extent but generally speaking if you fear that people will discover that you are inadequate then you likely have Imposter Syndrome.
One of the best ways to begin to overcome Imposter Syndrome is to realize that you are not alone and that many people suffer just as you do:
“The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania and a complete feeling of: ‘I’m a fraud! Oh God, they’re on to me! I’m a fraud!’ So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud.”
“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.”
Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal, the author of Girlboss and Nasty Galaxy has a saying: Don't compare your life to their highlight reel. Social media is just curated bits and pieces of people's lives. You mustn't ever look at someone else's Instagram and think that you are lacking. They aren't posting pictures of the presentation they bombed or the cake that didn't cook all the way through or the party they weren't invited too. Remember that not everything you see is all its cracked up to be.
Jane West, co-founder of Women Grow gave a talk on overcoming imposter syndrome at the Women Grow Leadership Summit 2016 in Denver. I was there to see it and her speech had women nodding and cheering. She touched a nerve and identified a problem so many of us face. You can see her talk below and hopefully gain some perspective to help you realize that you have every right to be where you are.
At the end of the day, what I really want to you to take away from this post is that whatever successes you have achieved you have them because you worked for them, you made them happen and you need to begin to take credit for them. If you don't, someone else will and thats so wrong.
When you feel yourself falling into that pit of despair and self doubt, remind yourself that it's just the imposter syndrome talking. It's not real. Your boss or client wouldn't have hired you if they didn't believe you could deliver. You've got this.