Have you ever come to the point that whenever you achieve something, you feel like you did not really deserve the accomplishment? Instead of feeling proud of yourself, you feel fake or like a fraud?
If, instead of being happy and feeling joy for yourself, you dread and feel down whenever doing something worthy of being called a success, you might have imposter syndrome. Especially if you think that one day, everyone will find out that you just got lucky and aren’t actually all that skilled.
You might be surprised to learn that this exact feeling or situation is something that quite a lot of people experience. This is what Imposter Syndrome is, and it hits people who are mostly high achievers. It can be helpful to think that whenever you feel like you don’t deserve your victory, it’s not actually you making your mind think like this – you might actually be more capable than you think you are. No actual fraud will ever worry about themselves being a fraud.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
This is the overwhelming kind of feeling you get whenever you stumble upon or think about your successes and achievements. It’s the feeling that you do not actually deserve those successes. Your mind tells you that you aren’t intelligent, creative, or as talented as you think you are – that you are just a really lucky person. It also might mean you have a fear that one day, people will realize that you are a fraud and untalented.
It was identified first in 1978 by two psychologists who theorized that women were more uniquely affected imposter syndrome more than men. However, as the years passed, research has begun to show that BOTH men and women experience feelings linked to imposter syndrome.
These feelings can be linked to those similar to self-doubting, such as fearing failure, being a perfectionist, self-sabotage, and fear of success. Although it isn’t really something that stems from low confidence or a large amount of humility, it more on involves a fear of being exposed, isolated, and rejected.
It doesn’t have to be something that holds you back. If you learn how to master imposter syndrome in ways that can benefit you, you can be inspired to work harder and better, which can give you more success and recognition. However, you should be careful as the more you try, the more you feel like a fraud, which means you really have to know how to handle your emotions well.
Additionally, imposter syndrome has the power to hurt more than just an individual. Some teams and business are affected by a mass effect of imposter syndrome, and this requires the leader or the head of the team to keep an eye out on his co-members, to see if they might be struggling with feeling inadequate in their job.
Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome
The first step you have to take whenever overcoming imposter syndrome is realizing your feelings and recognizing that you are experiencing it. This is one of the hardest to do, but when you get it down, it becomes much easier to fix how you think and feel.
- Whenever you catch yourself doubting your capabilities, especially after you experience a successful moment or achieved something, linger on the feeling, and try to explain to yourself why you’re feeling this way and where it’s coming from. Reflecting will help a lot!
- If you’ve narrowed down the causes of you thinking this way, one way you could counter it is thinking of specific affirmations and self-justifications that can uplift you more than bring you down, which will help in neutralizing the doubt and feelings of inadequacy.
- Reaching out and talking to people is one of the things that you can do as a way to counter the self-doubt you feel. You might even find people who feel the same way and both of you can reflect on each other’s actions, ultimately proving to yourselves that maybe the inadequacy isn’t as accurate as your mind makes it out to be.
- You also have to understand that in life, there is always balance in the things that happen in your life. There are some things that you genuinely excel at, and some that you aren’t good at, and that’s okay. What’s important is that you know where both your personal strengths and weaknesses lie so you know what things you really should be worrying about.
- Whenever you succeed in something, accept and own it. Refrain from putting yourself down after you’ve just achieved something good and remind yourself that it happened because of the effort you put into it, your skills and talents, and that you made it happen. The more you do this, the more the success will feel genuine for you.
What more can you do?
You might be more susceptible to imposter syndrome if you’re in an environment you don’t feel as comfortable in. If you really want to improve yourself more because you’re doubting yourself and feel like your skills are inadequate, why not go for improving your skills instead of dwelling on the feeling of failing?
If you watch this video, you can learn to battle your imposter syndrome with something that can make you feel redeemable and self-achieved. If you feel inadequate whenever people give you compliments, when your boss promotes you or in this case, if you’re given a raise, you might want to watch the video for a tip on how to add more value to yourself all while battling your imposter syndrome.
At Yellow Tail tech, we only want to help you be the best version of yourself. If you see yourself having a job in the Linux and AWS industry, we have programs you can read about on our website that can help you figure out you need and if you’re ready for a future with plenty of opportunities available. Book a 10-minute intro call with our Enrollment Advisor today!
