Imposter Syndrome is when you doubt your accomplishments and have a persistent fear of the talent police showing up and exposing you as a fraud. The term comes from a study conducted in 1978 by Clance & Imes of Georgia State University.

 

Impostor Syndrome can be associated with feelings of self-doubt, such as fear of success, fear of failure, or self-sabotage. However, it's not just another symptom of low self-confidence and is more a fear of exposure, isolation and rejection.

 

This can push you to work harder not to be "unmasked," which leads to greater success and recognition, making you feel like an even bigger fraud. However, Imposter Syndrome can also lead you to revise your goals and become much more cautious, which in turn prevents you from fulfilling your true potential.

 

Impostor Syndrome can be challenging to recognise, and sufferers are convinced in their case, they genuinely are impostors.

 

See if you can recognise the symptoms described below.

 

 

While most people suffer from some lack of self-doubt, sufferers of Impostor Syndrome may have an extreme lack of confidence. This may be constant and severe. 

 

 

Perfectionism and Impostor Syndrome often go hand in hand. Having set unreasonably high goals, sufferers often feel disappointment or even shame when they do not succeed. As a result, the focus tends to be on mistakes and failures rather than the achievements they do make. 

    

 

Impostor Syndrome is characterised by a constant fear of being 'found out.  Sufferers worry that not only are they not good enough, but they are bound to be unmasked as a fraud quite soon.

 

This can lead to a vicious cycle of working extra hard, dissatisfaction with the outcome, and fear of discovery, which is exhausting and leads to further damage to their self-esteem.

 

 

People with Impostor Syndrome play down their achievements. They will often use negative self-talk to talk themselves out of their successes. 

 

They may rationalise a success they have had as 'easy', even though it was probably anything but easy and may have involved a colossal effort to achieve. 

 

With the definitions and symptoms out of the way, here are three simple but profound things you can do if Imposter Syndrome does show up.

 

 

To make a start in overcoming your Imposter Syndrome, you must accept you have these doubts and persistent fears. You must accept these feelings before you can start to let them go. We can't change how things are for us until we see what is and accept it.

 

The resistance to seeing how things are and the desire for the situation to be different have led to the coping strategies you currently use. This resistance can be exhausting and a distraction from moving forwards. You need to see the situation exactly as it is and own it before you can move forward.

 

There are good reasons for this. For one, once you accept it, you can get on with dealing with it. Your efforts can go into changing these feeling into something useful. Like achieving things that are important instead of compensating for your imposter feelings

 

Secondly, when we face our Imposter Syndrome with an attitude of kindness 

and acceptance toward ourselves, we can focus on our choices and solutions 

without the noise of fear and resistance.

 

The alternative approach, which most of us take, is to either push away any Imposter Syndrome feelings or change how we feel by using an avoidance strategy. Unfortunately, neither of these approaches deals with the underlying cause of Imposter Syndrome.

 

 

Imposter Syndrome is very common and, in a study carried out in 2011, it was estimated that 70% of people will experience feelings of Imposter Syndrome to some degree in their lives. 

 

It can show up anywhere - a new job, new project or new team. It affects lots of professions – Doctors, Lawyers and Actors.

 

It seems silly to list all these It would probably be easier to say that it can, and does, affect anybody Regardless of age, profession, success etc.

 

Lots of high-profile people suffer from Imposter Syndrome. Nobel prize and Oscar winners, sporting icons, and leaders of the world's most successful companies. 

 

These include Tom Hanks and Michelle Obama. It makes you feel like you are in good company, doesn't it.

 

So, the thing you can do when Imposter Syndrome shows up is to recognise that such feelings are normal. Then, talk to somebody about your experience of feeling like an imposter. There's a good chance that this will be a shared experience. 

 

 

By definition, if you have Imposter Syndrome, then you most likely doubt your accomplishments. You worry that the talent police are going to show up and expose you as a fraud. 

 

However, one of the best things you can do to reduce your anxiety around Imposter Syndrome is to own your achievements. It will help with your feelings of being an imposter, and it becomes very helpful for your annual review or when you're considering your next career move. Therefore, I want you to write down your achievements daily.

 

They don't have to be 'big' achievements.  It is unlikely you will achieve big things each week. However, the more routine 'smaller' results are vitally important to record as these are more likely to be forgotten.

 

If you record these achievements, they will help you accept and internalise the good stuff you write there. If you do this regularly, it will make it easier for you to accept your good work and build your confidence.

 

Set aside time at the end of every week, month, or quarter to review your accomplishments and highlight the ones that stand out. Remember 'smaller' achievements, when aggregated together, indicate success over time.

 

Also, get in the habit of saving examples of your work and record any compliments or positive feedback relating to the work you do

 

So, there you have it, the 1, 2 and 3 of what to do when Imposter Syndrome shows up. I hope you have found these words useful.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about career coaching with me, look at my website to see the many ways I can help you in your career.

 

If you are unsure about career coaching, let's have an informal chat.

 

Bye for now!

 

Mark