Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a common sign of success.

The fact is that many of us experience this because we have achieved something that we thought was out of our reach. So take a quick pause to appreciate that. Read on to see the 6 ways that I have been able to deal with this feeling myself.

1. Recognize it and know you're not alone

When you experience a feeling of personal shortcoming despite evidence of skill and achievement, recognize it as a common psychological phenomenon that almost 80% of people experience. As we saw in part 1 of this post, this is so common that there many celebrities, sports athletes, even Michelle Obama and Bruce Lee, who have experienced this. So don't weigh too heavily on theses feelings, and look at ways for your brain to deal with this success.

2. Let it out

Something that really helps is vocalizing your feelings to your manager, mentors, and colleagues. The act of expressing something will force you to understand what is really troubling you, and the reactions you will get from the other side will help quell the voices in your head.

3. Consider the context

Imposter syndrome rears its ugly head more often in some situations as compared to others. Typically, being in unchartered territory leads to more imposter syndrome. But the truth is that you'll be in unchartered territory whenever you have achieved career success and growth; if you're completely comfortable in your role, you're probably not growing. So it's natural to have this feeling whenever you're in a new role, just got a promotion, or moved to a new industry. Embrace the pain and learn through it.