IMPOSTER SYNDROME, IS THAT YOU?
“It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not”
-Denis Waitley
I want to dive into a topic that I have been battling with recently. Some may say it is self-imposed, others may say it is inevitable but overall it is affecting how people, including myself show up in the world. That topic is imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome can be defined as feelings of inadequacy despite evident success or the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications, worrying that one day someone will find out that you are not good enough. In other words, Imposter syndrome is an extreme case of self-doubt.
“I have written eleven 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.’“
-Maya Angelou
I wanted to explore a few of the different types of imposter syndrome and delve into some examples of what it even looks and sounds like. What's important to note is that imposter syndrome is NOT a personality trait.
3 Types of Imposter Syndrome
1. The Perfectionist - You may hold yourself to an impossibly high standard. Feeling as if you cannot do something perfectly, what’s the point of doing it at all? When you fall short, you may feel undeserving of any success
2. The Soloist - You believe asking for help is a sign of weakness and invalidates your success. You see success as a solo endeavor
3. The Superwoman/Man - You base your success on how many roles you can juggle while making it look seamless. You thrive for effortless perfection
Some examples of feeling like an imposter
Feeling like success is impossible
Fear of not meeting another person’s expectations
Feeling like your success is a result of luck
Everyone goes through feeling like an imposter, no matter the career or the accolades. It is important for us to understand that imposter syndrome is a feeling, not a fact. What we feel is not always true. HONOR your feelings but also normalize fact-checking and changing the language around them.