This post is all about how to deal with impostor syndrome.

Have you ever felt like a fraud? Like no matter how hard you are trying, you’ll never be good enough?

Are you always pushing yourself to the point you burn out?

Do you ever obsess over every little detail on a project you are working on?

If your answer to these questions is yes, then you are probably experiencing impostor syndrome.

But what the heck does “impostor syndrome” mean, and most importantly how can you overcome it to stop it from ruining your chance at your dream life?

If you’ve ever felt like a fraud, like you’re not good enough or like you’re in over your head, you may be experiencing impostor syndrome. 

This syndrome is characterized by feelings of self-doubt, insecurity, and inadequacy, despite evidence to the contrary.

If you have impostor syndrome, you may feel like you’re not worthy of your successes. You may be afraid that you’ll be exposed as a fraud. You may feel like you’re an impostor, an impostor in your own life.

Impostor syndrome is common among high achievers. It’s estimated that 70% of people will experience impostor syndrome at some point in their lives. 

I personally experience my impostor syndrome every time I open the computer to write an article. And even people who are highly successful have doubted themselves and their abilities at one point in their lives.

If you think you may have impostor syndrome, there are some things you can do to overcome it. 

And today I want to share with you 4 key tips to help you deal with impostor syndrome.

 So without further introduction, let’s start!

Identify if you are experiencing impostor syndrome

As the famous saying goes, the first step to solving a problem is to recognize you have a problem.

So how do I know if I suffer from impostor syndrome? We went over some of the symptoms previously but let’s see them in depth:

• Frequently feeling anxious and even suffering from panic attacks
• You have felt self-doubt in your past and present experiences
• You constantly have a feeling that you are going to be “found out” or discovered as a fraud
• Your attribute your success to luck or by chance and don’t believe it’s connected to your hard work
• You don’t believe the praise you receive from others
• You normally spend your energy focusing on what went wrong
• You rarely celebrate your successes
• You are constantly comparing yourself and your progress to others

Aside from these symptoms, there are 5 types of impostor syndrome: the perfectionist, the overachiever, the soloist, the expert, and the celebrity.

The perfectionist is someone who is never satisfied with their achievements and is always striving for more. They feel like they are never good enough and are always second-guessing themselves.

The overachiever is someone who feels like they have to overachieve in order to be successful. They are always pushing themselves to be the best and feel like they have to live up to impossible standards.

The soloist is someone who feels like they have to do everything on their own. They feel like they can’t rely on anyone else and that they have to do everything themselves.

The expert is someone who feels like they have to know everything in order to be successful. They are always trying to learn more and be the best at what they do.

The celebrity is someone who feels like they have to be perfect all the time. They are always in the spotlight and feel like they can’t make any mistakes.

Accept your failures

The second tip I want to share with you on how to deal with impostor syndrome is to accept your failures.

Here is something that many people have a hard time accepting: you are human.

And do you know what characterizes all humans? 

They make mistakes, it is the way in which we learn and grow.

This is our first time living and going through this world and so it is normal and ok to make mistakes, to take some wrong turns and fail.

Failing doesn’t diminish your worth or confirm your most negative beliefs that you are not good enough.

So allow yourself to make mistakes and be bad at new things.

Once you accept and learn to control your fear of failure and of what people may think if you do so you’ll discover that your self-doubt and insecurity won’t have so much power over you.

Find and create a support system 

If you’re struggling with imposter syndrome, it can be helpful to find others who are struggling with the same issue. 

This can help you to feel less alone and can give you a chance to share your experiences and learn from others. 

But where can you actually find these support groups?

There are a few ways to find others who are struggling with imposter syndrome. 

You can search online for support groups or forums, or you can reach out to friends or family members who may be struggling with the same issue. 

Once you’ve found a few people to connect with, you can start to create a support system that can help you to overcome your imposter syndrome.

Remember that you’re not the only one who is going through this and don’t have to go through this alone.

Reframe your mindset 

If you’re plagued by impostor syndrome, it can be incredibly helpful to reframe your mindset to eliminate that self-doubt and negativity your mind is filled with.

Instead of thinking of yourself as an impostor, think of yourself as a success story in the making, there are struggles and obstacles as well as the belief that in the end, you will make it.

This simple shift in perspective can make a big difference in how you feel about yourself and your ability to achieve your goals.

Remember that everyone feels like an impostor at times, even those who are successful, Oscars award winner Natalie Portman has admitted that she feels like a fraud in her speech to the Harvard graduates. 

The key is to push through those feelings and focus on your goals. When you catch yourself doubting your abilities, remind yourself of your past successes, in fact, write a list of them, even the smallest ones.

This will help you to see that you are capable of achieving great things.

Start thinking of yourself as the success story you want to be. Visualize yourself achieving your goals and living your best life. 

Believe in yourself and your ability to make your dreams a reality. With this positive mindset, you’ll be well on your way to overcoming impostor syndrome.

Here are some examples of ways to reframe your mindset whenever thoughts of self-doubt fill your mind:

• Instead of saying to yourself: “was I just lucky?”, reframe that to “I worked hard to get here”.
• “I’m never going to be great” to “I’m doing my best·
• “I’m not good enough to do this” to ·I’m capable of doing anything I set for myself” 
• My opinion doesn’t matter to your voice might be exactly what someone needs to hear
• I don’t have enough experience to I can leverage my own skills 

Conclusion

You might not feel like you are as good as everyone else you see online. You might feel like you didn’t get where you are by your own merit and hard work, like you, were ‘lucky’ or ‘given’ the opportunities you were given. 

Remember, it is about your mindset. If you believe you are an impostor, then you will always feel like an impostor. 

Focus on what you have achieved and what you have learned in the past and you will begin to see the pattern of your own successes.

And before we say goodbye I want to leave you with this quote: if you weren’t ready for it, you simply wouldn’t have been presented with the opportunity.

Believe in yourself. If you are faced with an opportunity but are terrified to take it and think that you are not good enough for it, just do it, and go for it.

Because that opportunity wouldn’t have been presented to you if you weren’t ready for it.

But when I say ready, I don’t mean you’ll nail the job/project and will do everything perfectly and flawlessly.

Because most of the time, especially when facing something completely new and unknown, you’ll make mistakes and will face things you won’t know how to manage.

However, you will be ready to face this opportunity because of your past experiences, because no matter how you´ll be able to face whatever challenges this new opportunity brings, and most importantly because you are ready for the lessons this new opportunity will bring into your life.

Believe in yourself and your capabilities and trust your success because they are proof of your potential, no matter how little you think you have accomplished.

Thank you so much for investing your time in this article. I hope that the habits, techniques, tips, and exercises in this article will help you deal with your impostor syndrome and help you to pursue your dream life!

Always remember that you are worthy of even your deepest and wildest desires!

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