Kick Imposter Syndrome to the Curb Once and for All!

Be humble -

Not knowing something doesn’t make you

a fraud, it makes you a student.

Marie Forleo

1. Address the thoughts contributing to your feelings of inadequacy. What evidence to you have to support that thought? I often ask my clients this very question, and they have a very hard time coming up with supportive evidence, which means your thought is likely distorted. A cognitive distortion is an irrational or inaccurate thought that perpetuates negative thought patterns (search common cognitive distortions to learn more). How would you respond to a close friend if they were in your situation? Now use that same language with yourself.

2. Share how you’re feeling with someone you love and trust, preferably outside of your professional network. Sometimes just saying it out loud to someone else can diminish the intensity and help normalize your experience. And they'll likely provide reassurance and remind you how truly accomplished you are!

3. Celebrate your wins, regardless of how small. If someone congratulates you or pays you a compliment, TAKE IT IN! Don’t down play it, just say "thank you." Start a list on your phone of all the nice, complimentary things people have said or start a file folder and place cards, email, reviews etc. inside. Or, place things around your work area that remind you how far you’ve come and how capable you are!

4. Stop trying to be perfect, perfectionism IS NOT ATTAINABLE! No one is perfect. You do not know everything and you cannot help everyone. Instead, focus on your progress. Your progress, after all, is what move you closer to achieving your ultimate goal. The most successful people have failed the most. There is no success without failure. Take action, regardless of how small. Aim to fail regularly. If you’re not failing, then you’re not trying and if you’re not trying, you’re too comfortable. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, that’s when the growth takes place.

5. Give yourself grace. If you wouldn’t say the thing you say to a close friend or your younger self, they have no place in your inner dialogue! Be compassionate...to yourself! You do not want your worth to be tied to productivity and other people’s opinions. If we rely on external circumstances to confirm our worth, we will suffer greatly in the absence of those accolades.

6. Stop comparing yourself to others. Comparing you day to day with someone else’s highly curated, highlight role will only leave you feeling inadequate. And, it’s not an accurate representation of what it took for them to arrive at that point.

7. Lean into what you DO know. You may not know it all. But do you know more than the average person on the topic? That makes you more of an expert in that area. Being an ‘expert’ is defined as a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area. THAT’S YOU!