Disappear Your Imposter Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome is more than just a buzzword: It keeps you on the sidelines and delays progress. Here's how to disappear your Imposter Syndrome with the snap of your fingers (or something like that).
Having a hard time naming that dreadful feeling in the pit of your stomach when it's your turn to speak at a staff meeting? Want to contribute in class but too often talk yourself out of it? Do you feel like everyone has more experience, better ideas, more credibility? That, my friend, is called Imposter Syndrome. It's very real, it's holding you back, and it's time to leave that ish in 2020.
The first step to ridding yourself of IS: Recognize the signs. IS makes you feel as if it's only a matter of time before everyone learns that you don't know what you're talking about, and you beat yourself up for small mistakes that you're absolutely sure your coworkers would *never* make, among other self-defeating thoughts. Instead, reverse your thinking:
Recognize that everyone feels this way at one point or another. You are not alone.
You are where you are for a reason: You are a smart, capable human with the capabilities to get the job done - whether at school, the workplace, or within a team.
Stop comparing yourself to others in all facets of life (hi, toxic social app scrolling). Seriously, stop doing it! You are on your own path and it's going to look different from others' trajectory.
Like all else in life, managing feelings of inadequacy takes time and practice. So give yourself the time to practice acknowledging your worth. Drop the comparisons to others and focus on what's important: working hard and building skills that will benefit Future You.
More on Imposter Syndrome:
Listen to Michelle Obama discuss Imposter Syndrome.
Three things you can do to get rid of it.
Ten leaders share their experience.
It's Lonely At The Top.