Overcoming Impostor Syndrome and Pushing Past Your Self-Doubt

All of us sometimes doubt ourselves. We worry that our interactions make us seem dull or stupid; we worry that our work isn’t quite polished enough or our performance is not quite perfect. This doubt is sometimes warranted and serves as an indication that perhaps we should work a little harder next time. But for some people, this self-doubt far exceeds what the situation requires or deserves. They live every day chalking their accomplishments up to luck, and waiting in dread for the day that someone finds them for what they really are: a fraud in their career, too stupid to be where they’re at, or just plain faking it. They live each day terrified that someone will realize they are nothing but an impostor. Of course, they are not actually impostors. These people just have a difficult time realizing what they are truly capable of, and taking credit for the good things they create in their personal and professional lives. Fortunately, it is possible to push past these feelings of extreme self-doubt and live life to the fullest; it just takes some hard work. Do You Have Impostor Syndrome? Since we all feel self-doubt from time to time, it can be difficult to distinguish whether or not you are truly suffering from this problem. At certain stages of our lives - upon acceptance to a highly-ranked college, starting out at a great new job or even at the outset of a relationship that seems to be progressing perfectly - we are almost all bound to feel some pang of impostor syndrome. That’s why three-quarters of Harvard Business School pupils feel that they got in by accident, because of some mistake during the application process. But if you have pervasive feelings of self-doubt that just seem to be piling up and won’t go away, you may have impostor syndrome. Here are some questions to ask yourself if you suspect you are suffering from this condition: • Do I often think to myself, “I don’t deserve this job/promotion/career?” • Do I fear the day my boss finds out that I duped him/her into giving me this job? • Do I chalk others’ successes up to hard work and my own successes up to dumb luck? • Do I set reasonable expectations for others and impossible expectations for myself? • Do I avoid advancements in my career because I feel like I’m not ready, even though my boss and coworkers think I am? If you answered yes to most of these questions, you probably have impostor syndrome. Fighting Back Against Impostor Syndrome Sometimes, as we get more comfortable in our positions, this condition seems to magically dissipate - and that’s fine. It’s natural to feel self-doubt at times. But if these worries just don’t seem to be going away, there are several things you can do to alleviate your fears. Own Up to Your Successes and Your Failures Usually, people tend to feel responsible for their successes and feel like a victim of circumstance when they fail. Those suffering from impostor syndrome feel the opposite; they feel that they brought on their failures and their successes were simply dumb luck. Actually, the healthiest thing to do is to own up to them both. You are just as responsible for your successes as you are for your failures. By appreciating the role you play in each of these results, you can better appreciate how your actions contributed to them. Be Ambitious Stop playing it safe. By avoiding challenging situations that might propel your career forward, you are in effect holding yourself back. Your coworkers are working hard and may surpass you in areas where you used to be in the lead. This will only fuel your impostor syndrome, making you feel like a failure. Instead, work hard and keep your goals at a distant reach. When you are inevitably successful, it will feel more legitimate after you put in lots of hard work and challenged yourself to accomplish something meaningful than if you were successful with little effort. Stop the Comparisons When we compare ourselves to others, we will obviously find weaknesses in ourselves; most of your coworkers probably do some aspect of the job better than you do, but that does not mean that you are bad at your job. Competition is a powerful motivational tool, but you need to encourage the right kind of competition. Instead of trying to be the best, strive to be your best. Take note of your achievements month to month - for example, how well you met your clients’ needs or the dollar value of new sales you brought in that month. Then, each month, challenge yourself to do better and better. Impostor syndrome is a frustrating problem that afflicts many people in the workforce, but it is not an insurmountable obstacle. You can work past your self-doubts and become truly accepting of the place you’re at and the good things you bring to your job. You just need to focus and be ready to make the changes in mindset needed to overcome it. Image by Joshua Earle