Many of us are familiar with the feeling of doubting our abilities, even if we have achieved significant success. This is impostor syndrome—the feeling that we don’t really deserve our achievements, or that we will soon be exposed as a “fraud.” The arguments usually include phrases: “I was just lucky,” “I was in the right place at the right time.” This is how a person tries to distance himself from his success, because he does not believe that he is capable of something like that.
This internal conflict can undermine self-esteem and interfere with professional growth. But remember, you are not alone in this! Many successful people have experienced or are experiencing this syndrome.
If you are..
-️You feel like a pretender
You believe that you do not deserve the success or position you have achieved. You’re afraid that one day everyone will realize how incompetent you really are. The result is meticulous perfectionism, fear of making mistakes, and even fear of success.
-️You explain your success by luck or other external reasons, but not by your work or abilities. And at the same time you are afraid that next time you will not be lucky.
-️You devalue your success
You believe that the task completed was too easy and does not deserve much attention.
…You most likely have impostor syndrome!
For a more accurate determination, take the test:
Imposter syndrome can be contrasted with the Dunning-Kruger effect – a phenomenon in which people with a low level of competence make professional mistakes without realizing them at all. As a result, inflated ideas about one’s own importance and abilities. Simply put, this is false confidence in one’s own professionalism. Such people are called differently: amateurs, lamer, etc.
7 Steps to Overcome Imposter Syndrome:
- Receive objective feedback regarding your achievements and results.
- Accept your feelings and emotions, but work with them, don’t get hung up.
- Assess your competencies, diplomas, etc. Determine what is important to improve and study.
- Learn to accept a negative result and make sure it is not catastrophic.
- Don’t compare yourself to others, it’s better to measure your own progress.
- Record your achievements and positive feedback about your work
- Don’t think only about the result. Try to enjoy the process.
To objectively evaluate your successes and gain more confidence in your abilities, you need to learn how to track your progress.