I feel like I don’t deserve that much attention. I’m afraid of making mistakes. I’m never sure if my ideas and knowledge are worth paying attention to.
And I know I’m not alone.
If you ever felt like you don’t deserve your accomplishments or don’t belong to a certain place, you are not alone.
Imposter syndrome is the biggest threat to your career because it silently keeps you stuck where you are.
The good news is, imposter syndrome rarely means you’re on the wrong path. It just means you’re afraid of failure.
Plus, it means you genuinely care about what you do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t worry about not being good enough.
If you believe you’re not good enough, you have a great excuse for not taking action.
When you don’t take action, you can’t fail.
And not failing is good — at least, that’s what we’re taught.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect
When you start learning something new, you usually make quick progress and feel ecstatic.
Let’s take writing as an example: You want to start writing online without knowing how. You do some research and learn that you can easily write and publish on Medium.
Your account is created within minutes, you write your first story, and the next day, you see that a dozen people have already read your post. You even got a positive comment from a reader.
You’re thrilled.
And most importantly, you feel confident.
You might think, “This is easy!”
The bad news is, you’re likely overestimating your skills because, in reality, you’re at the very beginning, and there’s a lot you have to learn if you want to build a large audience and write for a living.
The same is true when you buy a new video game, play an instrument, or explore a new form of sport.
As a beginner, you usually feel overly confident because you make quick progress. Going from zero to one isn’t hard. The gap between each of the next steps is much larger.
The more you learn, the more you become aware of your blind spots, and eventually, you start to doubt yourself.
Those are the two sides of the Dunning-Kruger Effect:
- People with low ability (who’re new to something) overestimate their skills.
- And those with high ability underestimate themselves because they assume what’s easy for them is also easy for others.
There’s a disconnection between actual vs perceived competence.
And that’s usually also the case with imposter syndrome: You underestimate yourself.
But here’s the good news...
You’re Not Alone
Studies show that more than 70% struggle with imposter syndrome, and while anyone can be affected, it’s more dominant among women.
The effect is further amplified for women in underrepresented industries and people of color:
“Pychologists believe that Impostor Syndrome is most common in high-achieving women and those who feel underrepresented or different from their colleagues such as people of color, the LGBTQ community, etc.”
Even top performers and artists can be affected — like Maya Angelou who said:
“I have written 11 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.”
So the good news is, you’re never alone. The most confident-looking people might be silently facing imposter syndrome just like you do.
Real imposters usually don’t have imposter syndrome because they feel too confident about themselves. You struggle because you care.
You feel like an imposter because you’re not a fraud but are trying to stay on top of your game. And that’s good.
Yet, your feelings shouldn’t hold you back from building the life you want (and deserve), so here’s how to beat imposter syndrome once and for all:
Speak Up
People who experience imposter syndrome often feel alone because they don’t talk about it.
They believe they don’t belong to certain places, especially not to “the top” of their field, and hence don’t feel comfortable speaking about their feelings.
But the more you talk about it, the more connection you might find.
Whenever you share your thoughts and emotions, you’ll likely find someone who feels the same way.
Instead of hiding your insecurities, expose them to diminish their power.
It took me more than two years to finally talk about how I felt like an imposter as a writer. As soon as I did, peers who were way ahead of me told me they felt the same way.
Instead of trying to look strong, I admitted my worries and thoughts. And I found more support than I could’ve wished for.
Opening up about your feelings may sound scary, but the good news is you don’t have to talk to anyone. You can start by sharing your thoughts with your closest friends or colleagues first. By hearing about their stories, you’ll inevitably be encouraged to share yours.
Talking about feeling like an imposter is like talking about money: We’re taught not to do it because it leads to clarity and confidence. So do it.
Build a Body of Proof
The most effective way to beat imposter syndrome is to constantly remind yourself of the fact that you’re not an imposter and that you deserve to win.
You’re evolutionarily wired to focus on your mistakes and failure instead of your wins.
To beat imposter syndrome, we need to do the opposite. We need to focus on all the accomplishments and milestones that prove we deserve to be on top.
Here’s how to do that: Create “win” folders on your computer and phone.
Whenever you accomplish something or get positive feedback, write it down, or better: take a screenshot and save it.
Save positive emails or messages you receive from colleagues and clients.
Think of it as a collection of all the positive feedback you receive. This is proof that you’re, in fact, not an imposter.
On top of that, you can keep a journal with your daily wins to stay focused on the bright side instead of dwelling on your mistakes.
A 5-year memory journal helps you keep track within just a few seconds per day.
Whenever you feel stuck or anxious, review your folders and journal to remind yourself of all the amazing work you’ve already done and the positive feedback you received.
It’s Not All Or Nothing
If you’re afraid of failure, you’ll never move ahead.
Perfectionism is a bitch because it holds you back from showing up. And if you don’t show up, you don’t even get a chance to win.
Repetition leads to growth, and if you don’t try (and fail) enough, you won’t see the results you desire.
Remind yourself that most of your work will be average and that it’s fine.
You don’t have to deliver 100% all the time. But if you don’t dare to suck at what you do, you won’t have enough feedback to improve your skills.
By avoiding failure, you’re also avoiding success.
The biggest difference between significant accomplishments and mediocrity is the willingness to show up more often.
Pretty much anything you’re surrounded by was created by people no smarter than you. They just had an idea and were excited to see if it could work.
Sometimes, you have to move fast and fail often, so you can learn fast.
In fact, if you’re not feeling like an imposter at times, you might be thinking too small.
Feel the fear, pause, find confidence, and do it anyway.
Beating imposter syndrome doesn’t have to equal “crushing your comfort zone.”
It can mean that you feel negative emotions but rationally know that you deserve to succeed.
