5 Top Tips on How to Overcome Impostor Syndrome

Have you ever said to yourself:

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

“Any moment now, someone’s going to catch me out.” 

“Why did I even attempt this?” 

“I’m feel like such a failure. A total, absolute failure.” 

If you have, then you are amongst 70% of people who suffer from Impostor Syndrome.

Impostor Syndrome is the overwhelming feeling that you are undeserving and unworthy of your success. You feel less intelligent, capable or talented than you actually are. You believe that your accomplishments are a result of luck or coincidence, and you are afraid that you will be exposed as a fraud. 

Impostor Syndrome can be a major obstacle to achieving your goals, especially for women who tend to be more susceptible because they produce less testosterone aka the confidence hormone.

The good news is you can overcome Imposter Syndrome by  reframing your thinking. If you want to stop feeling like an impostor, you have to stop thinking like an impostor.  This is a process that happens over time.

Here are 5 top tips to help you reframe your thinking and overcome Imposter Syndrome:

1. Talk about it.
Have a good support network where you can have open conversations about your challenges without feeling judged. You also get to hear how other people have dealt  with feeling like an impostor. It  can be such a relief to know you’re not the only one.

2. Collect positive feedback
Get a journal to record all your wins e.g. winning an award, people giving you praising  or  client testimonials.  Whenever you need a boost, take a look in your journal – it’s proof!

3. Place blame accordingly
We all make mistakes, but it’s important to recognise what is actually your fault. For example, the scientist who kept blaming herself for problems in her lab. She started recording every time something went wrong and realised most of the problems came from equipment failure.  She was actually far more competent than she gave herself credit for.

4. Let go of trying to be perfect
Don’t try to be perfect, nobody else is. Just focus on doing a great job when it matters. Making mistakes is the best way to learn. Forgive yourself when the inevitable mistake happens and don’t obsess over it. Instead ask yourself “what can I learn from this to help me to be better next time?”

5. Get Excited
Your body doesn’t know the difference between feeling scared and feeling excited. Start telling yourself that you’re excited whenever you do something that scares you, and over time, you will believe your new thoughts.