HOW TO TACKLE IMPOSTER SYNDROME
During my first interview process post college graduation, I experienced anxiety and doubt of my qualifications as I entered into the last round of interviews. A well known company and a highly coveted position with thousands of applicants, I wondered why I had made it this far and worried that if I were to get the position, I wouldn’t be able to perform well. I remember the sigh of relief I had when a friend of mine told me that it seemed I had imposter syndrome. Originated in a 1978 study of high-accomplished women from psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud.
Today, a Google search of imposter syndrome produces almost 8 million results. Addressing imposter syndrome in women is discussed in thousands of books, thought leadership articles, initiatives and more. I felt relieved realizing that imposter syndrome is something many people deal with. Actually, accomplished women like actress Viola Davis, First Lady Michelle Obama and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor have all admitted to having imposter syndrome. So if you’ve experienced imposter syndrome, you’re in good company. There are many ways to address it and below are just a few.
Celebrate Your Wins - Big or Small
Acknowledging your small victories is an excellent way to track your achievements and boost your confidence to continue to reach your goals. In fact, when you accomplish something, the reward center of your brain is activated, allowing you to feel a sense of pride! The energy you experience from the release of dopamine hooks you to achieving more.
With this in mind, take some time at the end of each day to write down your 5 wins of the day. It could be anything from going for a walk to finishing a big project or calling a friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile. The act of celebrating your wins will help you have a restful night of sleep and wake up ready to tackle the next day.
Don’t Compare Your Journey to Others
With social media giving us more access to our peers than ever before, it can be easy to look at other people’s success stories and feel as though you are behind. But oftentimes you are comparing your chapter 1 to their chapter 50. Not only can comparison make you feel bad about yourself, it’s also counterproductive. Think of all that time wasted that could be spent on watering your own grass.
Visualize Your Success
Although it's been around for centuries, manifestation became a buzzword in 2020 as a way to visualize what you want in life in order to achieve it. Many people swear by it, including many celebrities. Jim Carrey famously revealed in an interview with Oprah that at the beginning of his acting career he wrote himself a $10 million dollar check for services rendered. He gave himself 3 years, dating it Thanksgiving 1995, and put it in his wallet for safekeeping. Just before Thanksgiving 1995, he found out he would be earning $10 million dollars on his movie Dumb and Dumber.
This thought process follows the idea that to truly believe you will be successful is an essential step in actually achieving it. Visualizing your accomplishments will help you believe that you are truly deserving of the accolades coming to you.