Impostor Syndrome: What it is and How Does it Limitates You

Impostor Syndrome

There may come a time in your life when you feel you do not deserve what you have just received. A constant nagging feeling keeps creeping in reminding you that you have no capabilities, and you are only pretending to have control over the situation. On the other hand, people around you have it all figured out and are on the right track.

Unfortunately, you are not the only person who feels this way. You may be on track with your relationships, job, or life in general but feel that you are not capable or smart enough. Carrying around such a feeling on a regular basis is called imposter syndrome.

A medical condition that pushes us towards self-doubt, missing opportunities, and seeing ourselves in a negative light.

How To Understand Imposter Syndrome

In simple words, imposter syndrome is feeling like everyone other than yourself knows what they are doing, while you feel lost. As the crippling fear takes over your body and mind that you are a fraud. Unfortunately, it can come to a point where you find yourself in a lot of trouble. Fortunately, some tools can help you recognize the patterns and help you get past the situation.

Research shows that seven out of ten adults experience imposter syndrome at some point in their life. The origin of imposter syndrome comes from a study found dating back to the 1970s. The study focused on how high-achieving women have issues coming to terms with their success. However, today both men and women feel the impacts of imposter syndrome.

How does Imposter Syndrome Limitate Your Abilities?

• Inability to assess your skills and competence.
• Assigning your achievements to external factors.
• Fearing you will fail to meet others’ expectations.
• Overachieving or sabotaging your own path to success.
• Setting insanely high standards and goals for yourself.

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome?

Embrace the feeling – Every single thing you feel can help you shape your future. However, the challenge here is to take the feeling as a positive marking, one that can help you focus and light a fire in your body and mind.

Take time to self-reflect – People who find themselves in a position of great success can sometimes feel like imposters, especially when they have been carrying baggage from the past. So sit down and reflect on your past and where you are now.

Maintaining a resume – Writing down your wins in your resume can help remind you of your accomplishment. They are not just for potential employers, they can help remind you how you have come a long way. Reminding yourself that this was not handed to you will help you realize your potential and true value.

Learn to let go – We are harsh critiques, but it will do you well to remind yourself that results come from making mistakes. If you make a mistake, take a step back and reassess the situation at hand. Once you see the issues you can move past them and move on.

Believe in your current and future self – Most of us carry negative feelings from our past, but that should not impact our current and future selves. This is why you need to focus on things you can do now to build a better future. Rather than sitting and wasting your time, its time you don’t let your past define you.

Remember that self-doubt is just another feeling – At the end of the day sit down and remind yourself that you are allowed to feel. That self-doubt is just another feeling, and it is something you can control and overcome with time. Doubt itself is part of the learning process and eventually goes away just like any other feeling.