Feeling like an imposter? That’s a good sign!
Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough or as a fraud? This feeling is called imposter syndrome, and I’ve been experiencing it all my life. But it doesn’t have to be a bad thing – let me show you an empowering way of looking at it and a way to deal with it.
What is imposter syndrome?
Put simply, it’s a feeling of inadequacy, even if all other factors in your life indicate otherwise. This is manifested by the constant, nagging feeling that you got to the position you are in due to being just lucky, as well as the feeling of inferiority compared to the people around you. Believe it or not, this can be reframed into a positive mindset!
Send me those Affirmations!
Imposter syndrome is closely connected to perfectionism and the fear of failure. I would bet that, if you can recognise these traits in yourself, you can say that you’ve experienced feeling like an imposter at least once in your life. You’d be in good company, too! Albert Einstein, Maya Angelou, and Meryl Streep openly spoke about having had imposter syndrome in the past.
Out of your comfort zone
So, why is the imposter syndrome good for you? The fact that you are feeling it means that you have taken a step (or two!) out of your comfort zone! If you are ambitious, you should actively seek this feeling, because as soon as you stop feeling like an imposter in your job, hobby, project, you’ll know that that feeling of comfort can easily lead to complacency. In fact, when you start feeling like you’re 100% comfortable at what you do, you should try and shake things up ASAP – and it can be by taking on more challenges at work, in your hobbies, side hustles or other things that you do.
How to take back control
Feeling like an imposter is a sign that you are growing and improving your skills, both personally and professionally. Thinking this way will make you own the situation you’re in. Next thing you know, you’ll find yourself purposefully exposing yourself to challenges.
That’s only the first step, though: once you shift your perspective on the concept, here are some exercises you can do to solidify that feeling of empowerment:
Journal about how you feel every day or what’s on your mind to process your feelings
Write down 5 things you’re proud of yourself for, either on a professional or personal plan
List at least one skill that you’re going to learn, practice, or improve today
Write down 5 things you’re grateful for! Practicing gratitude can be genuinely life-changing — don’t skip such a small step with such an enormous potential impact! Check out this post on gratitude if you need a little help getting started!
Repeat some daily affirmations – create your own, or get some affirmations that I’ve prepared especially for you here!
Try to do these every morning and don’t forget to journal before going to bed, too! Write down three good things that happened to you that day, and one thing you learned. You’ll be amazed at how much this can improve your outlook on life! If you’d like to hear more, check out my video below!
Armed with this new outlook and your helpful daily exercises, you’re ready to take on anything! I hope these simple tips help you, because they’ve helped me immensely.
Have more ideas on this topic? Let me know in the comments!
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