Often in your career, the biggest obstacle to your progress is you. It’s easy to stand in your own way and accidentally make life more difficult for yourself, even if you don’t mean to do it. One way your subconscious can mess with you is through imposter syndrome.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a condition where you feel like, at any minute, people will realize you’re incompetent or you don’t belong in your field. You fear being unmasked or found out to be a fraud, even if there’s no evidence supporting this fear.
People at all levels of their education or career get imposter syndrome. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you’ve done. You cannot own your successes and admit that you’re in the right place, even if you’re getting regular positive feedback from external sources.
When you’re dealing with imposter syndrome, it can get in the way of your career progression. You might be afraid to take risks or try new things because you don’t believe in your ability to succeed. Luckily, imposter syndrome is not a permanent condition. You can push back against it and win.
How to Fight Back Against Imposter Syndrome
Conquering imposter syndrome isn’t easy. You may never fully get rid of it, but you can lessen its impact and learn how to deal with it quickly so you can get on with your life.
Try these strategies for dealing with imposter syndrome.
1. Release Your Perfectionism
Studies show an interesting link between perfectionism and imposter syndrome. While it’s not a direct connection from one to the other, certain aspects of perfectionism can greatly affect imposter syndrome.
Behaviors like ruminating, fixating on being the best, and constantly seeking approval can all make imposter syndrome worse, exacerbating the symptoms by putting higher standards on yourself than you ever would on others.
It’s time to let go of harmful perfectionism mindsets. If you’re always failing to live up to your own standards, reevaluate those standards. Ask yourself if you would hold others in your position up to those standards, then reframe your expectations.
This is easier said than done, but it’s a helpful process to work on as soon as possible.
2. Cut Out Negative Self-Talk
One reason you may be having imposter syndrome is that you’re constantly telling yourself that you’re awful, stupid, or not good enough. This negative self-talk is very harmful to your mental health and builds up a false image of your own incompetence.
Pay attention to what you say about yourself in your own head. Your words to yourself must be kinder if you want to change how you think about yourself.
Stop and reframe your thoughts when you engage in negative self-talk. You can be realistic and honest but don’t overdo it or exaggerate your failures. By changing your self-talk, you can get a better picture of your actual competency level and capabilities.
3. Be Realistic About Your Strengths – and Weaknesses
In the same vein as being honest in your internal monologue, you also need to be honest about what your strengths and weaknesses are so you can form a true picture of yourself in your career.
While it’s difficult to beat imposter syndrome with facts alone, having an objective source to reference can be useful. Make sure you compile your strengths and weaknesses without bias so you have nothing to discount yourself on when you’re feeling down.
Try to be as specific as possible, especially when you’re talking about your weaknesses. Acknowledge what you’re bad at and how you may be able to overcome those weaknesses. It may be helpful to look through job postings in your field and compare your qualifications to what’s being requested. This can help you identify what makes you valuable and where you could improve.
For example, if you work in urgent care, you can go through urgent care career opportunities to see how you compare with the ideal candidate. Be prepared for a reality check if you haven’t done this in a while or if you’re looking at how you compare for a job you want to do in the future.
4. Talk to a Mentor
Do you have a career mentor in your life? Speak to this person openly about your struggles with imposter syndrome. It’s helpful to aid your struggles out to a trusted person who can give you direct feedback and provide accountability for your solutions.
If you don’t have a mentor, look for another trusted source in your life who you can talk to about your career and ask for advice.
5. Embrace the Good
While imposter syndrome makes it feel like you’re completely incompetent, there are some parts of it that you may be able to use for good.
Don’t let imposter syndrome drive you, but do let it remind you that there’s always room for growth and improvement. Let it motivate you to continue growing and changing, not to get too comfortable.
Conclusion
Imposter syndrome is a difficult problem to deal with in your career. If you’re struggling with crushing doubt and constant feelings of inadequacy, take steps to change your inner monologue and create a more realistic image of yourself.
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Author: Stephanie Jones
