BREAKING IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND EMBRACING WHAT YOU DESERVE

BREAKING IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND EMBRACING WHAT YOU DESERVE

• BREAKING IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND EMBRACING WHAT YOU DESERVE

Have you recently succeeded in something? Do you have the feeling as if you actually did not deserve it? Then you are experiencing an imposter syndrome. However, you should know that it happens to many people, even if we have never heard about it.

The harmful imposter syndrome appears when a person feels that his or her success is undeserved. In such a case, a person convinces himself / herself that the success is based on luck or other factors, instead of assuming the fact that he / she is really the only person who has made that success happen. Because of imposter syndrome, we start thinking irrationally about our performance and abilities. We do not believe that we have excelled and really deserve a reward.

If you are reading this article, it is probably that you also are feeling an imposter syndrome. To be honest, chances are small that you will ever be able to fully break it; however, there are some good ways to rid of it. Here are several pieces of advice.

Identify the Reason

Think well of the reason that makes you feel unworthy or doubtful. The most often, the answer is obvious. People think that they do not deserve certain project because someone else has better and bigger experience, has worked for the company for many years, or is more skillful and experienced in project preparation. The spot where a person is underselling himself / herself is the root of the problem.

Share with Someone

Choose a person you trust to share your problem with decreasing self-confidence. If the problem is related to your work, ensure to talk to somebody who is not your co-worker. Select a person who knows you outside of work and can understand when those feelings are unfounded and remind you of your strengths.

Remind Yourself of Your Achievements

Just remind yourself of everything that you have achieved and keep in mind all that hard work that you have put in to get where you are now. You should realize that you are the only person who got yourself to where you are and be grateful for that.

Take a Risk

Consider how you would react if you were not scared. Write down your wishes, read them out loud, share with somebody, and start realizing them. Do you know what the worst thing that can happen is? It is that it does not work. So, what? Just do your work and keep trying. Do everything to break that harmful imposter syndrome.

Try Mentoring

You have competence and experience to share. Find a person who needs it. Due to mentoring you will realize how much you actually know and find out some new strengths in the process. This tip will greatly help you reveal skills you mistakenly assumed came from luck. Besides, it gives the feeling of proud when you know that you are helping someone in his or her journey.