How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Do you ever get that feeling, tight in your chest, that feeling that you don’t belong, you might get found out, or the feeling of being a fraud?….Not just me then, phew! Just typing in ‘Imposter Syndrome’ into Google gives around 4 million results!
So what is Imposter Syndrome?
The term “imposter syndrome” was first coined in a study conducted in 1978 by Pauline Rose Clance & Suzanne Imes of Georgia State University, titled “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention”. Imposter syndrome is a a psychological phenomenon which comprises of intense feelings of self-doubt to the extent where people feel like a fraud, either in their personal or professional lives.
And it doesn’t just affect women; it can hit men or women from any race or class and in any career or position. However, men are more likely to push through symptoms while women tend to give in to their self-doubt. The study describes imposter syndrome as a term used to “designate an internal experience of intellectual phonies”, noting that it appears to be common in successful women.
New researched has been released by British bank NatWest - showing that 60% of women put off starting a business due to imposter syndrome. Would-be female entrepreneurs said factors such as a lack of confidence, thinking they are not the kind of person who could start a business or feeling they wouldn’t deserve to succeed despite their skills, were why they had not taken the plunge to start their own businesses.
How to overcome Imposter Syndrome
There will be points in your business or career when you feel inadequate or in over your head – but thankfully, it’s not an experience you have to have alone. Understanding Imposter Syndrome is the first step towards recognising and then telling it to take a hike and your first step in rising above it!
Here are my quick tips on how to overcome imposter syndrome:
Keep a compliments file
I share this often with my clients - one way to really boost your confidence in those moments when you feel Imposter Syndrome setting in. Have a notebook where you write down any positive comment you get from colleagues, clients, family members or friends. If you get sent any thank you cards with compliments save them in there. You can also do this electronically by having a notes file on your phone for the golden moments. Save them for the time when you are having “one of those days” and need a confidence boost or a reminder that you ARE awesome and you have had success. Read through them and acknowledge them, say thank you and then tell Imposter Syndrome to jog on!
Acknowledge, accept and have accountability
This is a simple one but super effective. When you get that feeling, that tightness in your chest, maybe your stomach flips or it’s just your mind calling you out - Say out out loud to yourself “It’s Impostor Syndrome” and it immediately becomes a little less terrible. Plus find one person you can say, “I feel like a fraud” to. Being able to say that out loud to another person can be a huge help. Having an Imposter Syndrome buddy can be super helpful. I talk about accountability a lot with my clients - having someone to share goals with and check in - saying those goals out loud make them all the most possible. Therefore sharing your Imposter Syndrome feelings out loud helps to get them out off your mind and into the ether and sharing this feeling with someone else who is feeling equally scared of it can help
Know it’s not just you
We don’t get an instruction book for life - we are ALL working it all out. The hardest things don’t come with instruction books but reaching success with them leads to the biggest rewards. Realising that nobody really knows what they’re doing will help. Most startups fail. Even the ones that you hear about raising millions of pounds fail all the time. Nobody knows exactly what’s going on. It’s all about testing, failing, learning and succeeding; nobody is perfect, nobody has it right all the time. You might sometimes feel like it can only be you that feels this way, but trust me it’s not just you darling.
Realise you are constantly evolving in what you are about, what your business is or what your career is. Therefore if we are constantly evolving, doesn’t that mean that we are always new at something and it is going to be a scary journey. Therefore there is always opportunity to be successful; how you choose to measure that success will lead to whether Imposter Syndrome comes in or not.
Write it all down
On the days when you feel like you haven’t achieved anything, or maybe what you have achieved you don’t deserve or it isn’t down to your own success - take some time to write down your story. Write down your career to date or your business journey.
There will also be light and shade. There will always be those moments you don’t wish to repeat but there will also be gold nuggets of amazing success and delight and you need to find them in the cavern of your brain, get them out onto paper and remember that you do have a great story to share and one that is littered with success - you ARE a success!
Surround yourself with amazing people
When you are in a stage of Imposter Syndrome it is time to surround yourself with supporters not haters; radiators not drains. You need people around you who will lift you up, boost your mood and remind you of how awesome you are. You are the sum of the five people that surround you; so make sure they are good ones. What do I mean by ‘radiators not drains’ - those people who radiate energy, lift you up on those days you doubt yourself; step away from anyone who drains your energy, brings you down and makes you feel worse than when you started talking to them.
Rachel Letham is a successful business and career coach who works with clients to share the tools they need to lead more fulfilling lives and careers. Rachel helps clients build their a positive mindset for success, gaining clarity in their direction and purpose in business and their careers. Rachel writes regularly to her network on the power of self care in supporting day to day life and has launched the Self Care Survival Kit Deck to help bring self care to the masses.