14+ Things You Need To Know About Impostor Syndrome And How To Fight It

Have you ever felt like you’re not ‘good enough’ at or for something? Specifically when you’re good at it, but for some reason, you’re doubting a lot? If yes, you have probably experienced Impostor Syndrome. 

What is Impostor Syndrome? 

So Impostor Syndrome makes us feel that we are not as qualified or as good as people think we are, and somewhere deep down we fear that someday people are going to find it out.  

When I was studying in college, I had to give a lot of presentations on a high variety of topics. Some of them were in English and some were in Korean. 

Before it was my turn to give a presentation I remember how fast my heart was beating that I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. My hands were cold sweating, and I even had times when I was about to faint because of how nervous I was. 

It was more than just a fear of public speaking.  

I thought other people did it better than I could but it wasn’t about self-confidence. I don’t have problems with that. Instead, I was scared that people would find out that I was not as good at my presentation topic as they thought I was. Even though I studied a lot, and thinking about it now I can say that I was more than knowledgeable about it.  

I learned so much from it and I’m finally ready to share it with all of you guys.  

It’s such a big topic that makes people suffer and achieve less than they potentially can. But the thing is that nobody talks about it. 

Signs that you might have impostor syndrome 

1. You compare your life to others all the time 

A lot of people compare their lives to others. I think it’s mostly because of social media (especially Instagram).  

Looking at other people’s posts, they think that everybody is living a great life every single day as nobody usually talks about their problems on social media. So people start assuming that there must be something wrong with them, having problems.  

2. You feel the need to know every piece of information  

During the meeting at work or in class, you’re hesitant and scared to ask a question or speak up because you’re simply afraid of looking foolish about not knowing the answer.  

That used to happen to me all the time. And what I’ve learned from it is if I don’t ask now, I will miss the opportunity to gain some valuable knowledge. 

Another thing that people with Impostor Syndrome do is they don’t apply for a job if they don’t meet every single criterion that the company wants.  

3. You think that you were lucky 

People who have Impostor Syndrome always think that they couldn’t have succeeded in life without having luck. You think it’s happened only because somebody helped you or pushed you until you got there.  

You may even think that you got it because you were at the right place at the right time, but not because you were putting a lot of effort into it and working hard. 

4. You don’t ask for help when you need it 

If you’re a person who loves completing tasks on your own it’s okay!  

However, when you need some help, the reason why you don’t ask for it is thinking that you’re going to be a fraud or a failure (because you didn’t do it yourself completely). 

5. You are too much of a perfectionist 

It’s okay if you’re a perfectionist and you set high expectations for yourself. But when they’re extremely high, meaning that even if you meet 99% of your goals, you will still feel like a failure. Any small mistake can make you question your competence.  

6. You want to be a “super-person”  

Most of the time you feel the need to succeed in all aspects of your life – at work, at school, in relationships, as a parent – and you feel stressed if you’re not accomplishing something. You always push yourself to work harder to prove that you’re not an impostor. 

7. You think you’re pulling a different persona 

People with Impostor Syndrome often think that they create a persona they show to people while being a different person. 

Why you should overcome it? 

There are several reasons why you should overcome it: 

1. It is holding you back from a lot of great things and opportunities. 
2. It lowers your self-confidence because you realize you don’t achieve what you can. 
3. Your time management and productivity are less effective because you work on things that are not your priority plus you stress too much. 

How to fight Impostor Syndrome in 7 steps 

1. Identify it 

As a part of a solution to any problem, the first thing you should do is to identify it. 

Once you notice the signs of it and accept it, you’ve already won the most important battle. Now you can find a step-by-step solution, seek support, and work on it.  

And here I’m trying to help you overcome it, so stick till the end.  

Related article: 80+ Things To Do Instead Of Social Media In 2020

2. See yourself as a ‘Contributor’ not an ‘Authority’ 

When you see yourself as an authority, you always give yourself this self-imposed pressure. You think that you’re expected to have all the answers, which is not true.  

That’s why I recommend that you shift your mindset into being a ‘contributor’ rather than an ”authority’. So you can contribute to the meeting, you can contribute to the conversation, and so on. 

3. Expect initial failure 

At any new beginning allow yourself to mess up because you’re learning and it’s normal!

For example, when you start learning how to ride a bike, you fall at least 5 times before you start to get the hang of it.

4. Aim at “OKAY” from time to time 

It comes from a previous step where I say that failure happens, and it’s okay as it’s a massive part of learning. 

Perfectionism and Impostor Syndrome accompany each other pretty often, and sometimes perfectionism can work against you. Not only does it give you a lot of stress because of a task that you couldn’t do properly, but it also makes you allocate your time ineffectively. 

That’s why I think sometimes we all should allow ourselves to make things “acceptable” instead of “perfect”.  

5. You grow – when you learn, you learn –when you TRY. 

I know that Impostor Syndrome can scare you away from trying new things. 

And I know that it’s always easier and more comfortable to do or pursue things that you’re already familiar with. Simply because it’s in your comfort zone and you feel safe in there.  

But the fact is that we only learn when we push ourselves to try new things.  

I just want you to always remember that whenever you feel like it’s too much for you, or if you’re coming up with excuses not to do something that you always wanted, but scared the crap out of you – remember that it’s a great opportunity for you to learn and grow. This challenge is your friend, not an enemy.  

6. Remind yourself of all that you’ve accomplished. 

Create a list of the accomplishments you’ve made.  

Even if it’s something small and might look like something that is not important to another person. But if you’ve struggled with it in some way and made it, write it down! 

Don’t be afraid of reminding yourself of all that you’ve accomplished. 

I want these words to be here: 

“Shout out to everyone making progress that no one recognizes because you never let anyone see your darkest moments. I see you and I am so proud of every little step you take to the right direction” 

Related article: 10 Ways To Start Living Your Best Life

7. Navigate your goals

When you’re stressed out and overwhelmed it’s easier for Impostor Syndrome to take control over you. 

That’s why, what I always do is whatever goal I have, I break it down into smaller actionable tasks. 

Any goal of yours is achievable, you just need to plan it out and start moving towards it.  

Whenever I have a goal, I like to visualize it by creating a plan. There I break it down into realistic steps, write down due dates, and start working on it.  

It helps me stay on track.   

By accomplishing every step you get this nice sense of fulfillment (everybody knows this great feeling). It helps avoid Impostor Syndrome as you visually see that you’re moving towards your goal. 

You can download a Goal-Getter printable here, it will help you break down your goals into detailed steps. 

 

+ BONUS ONE

Realize that it’s not entirely about you. 

Realizing that it’s not entirely about you is a huge step towards getting rid of it.  

For example, with the projects and presentations, I worried too much about how I spoke, how I looked, how to not “mess it up” and so on. But the most important key was DELIVERING information to people.  

Once you realize that it’s not even about you, it’s about delivering as much valuable information as you can, it will help you a lot. 

Well, here I described what Impostor Syndrome is and how you can fight it. Thanks for bearing with me I hope you enjoyed it. 

Pin it or share it on social media so more people know how they can deal with it. 

Question: Did you know about the Impostor Syndrome? Have you experienced it?  

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