Imposter Syndrome: What Is It & How To Overcome
Ah, the Imposter Monster as I like to affectionately call her. That little voice inside your head that constantly tells you, “You’re not good enough,” “You’re not smart enough,” or “You’ll never make it.” She wants you to believe that your accomplishments are actually just strokes of good luck. Flukes that worked in your favor, but don’t get too used to them. They won’t happen again.
She’ll keep you from chasing your dreams and believing in yourself. The question is...is she right?
What is imposter syndrome?
Here’s the good news. That voice inside your head that says all these things is actually a well-known phenomenon known as imposter syndrome. It’s a psychological experience that leaves its victims feeling like a fraud and doubting their skills, talents and accomplishments. Or, worse yet, their skills and abilities are overlooked completely because recognizing that they would even exist is out of the question.
Imposter syndrome tends to be way more prevalent in women than men, even ones with high power jobs and careers.
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So if you feel like an imposter, you can be slightly relieved to know that so does almost everyone else.
Is there any truth to the feelings of imposter syndrome?
In short, no. Of course, you may have had some strokes of luck and right-place-right-time in your lifetime. What’s an existence without some sort of perceived divine intervention, amirite?
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But ultimately, your fate is a culmination of your actions and decisions. If you are finding success, even in the smallest of ways, it is 100% warranted and deserved.
Can you overcome imposter syndrome?
The idea of overcoming imposter syndrome is slightly subjective. It really depends on what your definition of winning the battle is. Is it identifying imposter syndrome so that you know the thoughts flooding you are a sham or is it getting rid of the thoughts altogether?
Whatever your goals are, they will have to start with awareness.
This means that the next time you start thinking you’re a fraud, stop yourself and say, “Okay, thought...I see you and I know what you are. This is normal.”
That awareness in itself is an extremely liberating first step. It means that you are able to differentiate between fact and feeling. Separating the two makes it easier to deal with the real culprit.
I also want to note that I include, “This is normal,” as part of your internal dialogue, because it is.
Imposter syndrome is part of every human’s fight or flight response to stressful situations. It’s trying to keep you safe, which, when you think about it that way isn’t that sort of sweet?
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But since we know that response doesn’t serve us well, the next step after acknowledging its purpose is letting your imposter monster know you’re okay.
“Thanks for trying to protect me,” you can say. “But I know I worked really hard to get this, and I can replicate the results again.”
If it helps, write out all the things that you’ve been doing to get you to where you are today. Make it specific to your current circumstance -- if you’ve got a big program or product launch coming up and your imposter monster is making an appearance, list all the reasons why it’s okay for you to market it based on your past successes. Spare nothing when making this list -- everything you’ve done up until this point has contributed.
Follow this exercise up by rewriting your script. Use growth-based language such as, “I don’t know how to do this YET,” instead of “I don’t know how to do this.” Use this opportunity to visualize your success and reframe and negative thoughts that come through.
If you do fall short at some point (and you will), don’t use it as a reason to confirm your deepest fears. Instead, use it as an opportunity to make tweaks and approach your goals from a place of more experience. Envision writing a memoir of your trials and tribulations -- everyone loves a success story, but those stories always have to start with some hardships.
With enough practice, you may be able to silence your imposter monster completely. But if not, at the very least you’ll be able to speak to her directly and tell her to shut her front door. And that in itself is a big big accomplishment.
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MEET YOUR BRAND PHOTOGRAPHER
Bernadette Marciniak is a branding photographer based out of Los Angeles & New York City. She works with coaches, healers, educators and creative business owners to create powerful imagery that converts audiences into clients.
A former photojournalist, Bernadette approaches brand photography from a storytelling standpoint, using the emotions of your ideal client to guide a photoshoot. Illustrating the achievable transformations of the people you work with is the most powerful way to create the visibility your business needs.
Bernadette loves good pizza, craft beer and red wine. She watches Parks and Rec, Friends and How I Met Your Mother on repeat.
