3 Strategies for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

No matter how successful you’ve been in life or how hard you’ve worked, it’s still possible to feel like you don’t deserve your success or aren’t qualified to do your job. This is known as imposter syndrome, and happens when you feel inadequate or ill-prepared for a job or task despite all evidence to the contrary.

Imposter syndrome doesn’t need to stand in your way of doing great things! Here are three strategies you can employ the next time that feeling of fraud hits you.

Recognize and Acknowledge

Like a lot of things, the first step toward dealing with problematic behavior is to realize when it’s happening and acknowledge it. If you can, write down your feelings as soon as possible after they begin to occur.

Or, better yet, tell someone about it. Talking with someone else is an opportunity to receive positive reinforcement when you need it most. This could be a friend, family member, coworker, or someone who knows you well. Many times the people close to us can see things our about our work or character that’s often hard for us to see ourselves! They can help us see that maybe we are being too harsh on ourselves, and help us see our strengths and accomplishments.

Revisit Your Achievements

The times when you feel like you aren’t capable of doing something is the perfect time to remind yourself of everything that you have achieved. Think back on the moments personally or professionally that made you feel most proud and tell yourself what that felt like.

Looking back on everything you have accomplished will help reset your mind in a more positive direction and push away negative thoughts. You can even visualize your past success when it comes to taking whatever your new challenge may be.

Remember that No One Is Perfect

Don’t compare yourself to where someone else is at, and remember that everyone is on a journey of growth. You already know more than you did just a few years ago, and a few years from now, you’ll have grown in knowledge and expertise. Even the people you admire for their knowledge and accomplishments took much time, and experienced many failures, before getting to where they are.

So don’t let imposter syndrome keep you from believing you have something to offer, and remember all the accomplishments that led you to where you are!